Sterling, Virginia is known to its residents as an area where one may not worry too much about their security. With some of the best schools and cleanest neighborhoods, it is questionable as to why so many unsafe occurrences have happened in just our community alone. Starting with a pipe bomb threat in a local neighborhood, danger in Sterling has escalated to bank robbery, and even armed robbery of an apartment.

Over the past month, three Northern Virginia banks have been robbed: one in Ashburn and two in Sterling. The first one transpired on the first working day of 2014, Jan. 2nd. A man entered the PNC bank in Sterling Park around 9 a.m. with no weapons, yet still demanded cash. He was seen departing the scene with a concealed amount of cash, and managed to escape that day, but was later apprehended. The event rattled some Sterling residents, as many are not used to crime in their neck of the woods.

“It was crazy, just with the first one [bank robbery] being so close to us. But I can’t believe how many have occurred lately. I was really surprised by the fact that so many occurred in such a short period of time,” said sophomore Sara Derby, “It’s really unnerving that they have all been so close to home, but I was really glad to learn that some of the suspects had been caught.”

The following robbery occurred in Ashburn, when a man wearing a mask entered a Bank of America and ordered to be given cash. He also implied that he was carrying a weapon. Similarly to the robbery in Sterling, the suspect was busted at a later date. Although bank robberies are not an obscure crime in America, they are not the most common occurrence in Loudoun, where it feels like the most criminalizing event that transpires is a speeding ticket. So why are there numerous bank robberies occurring in one of the richest counties in America? Junior Michael Birks attributes the rise to people’s laziness.

“I think the people want money without getting a job and they feel this is the easiest way,” said Birks.

 The Washington First Bank, in the Cedar Lake Plaza, has been the most recent victim of the string of bank thefts. Occurring on Feb. 4, the suspect implied to a teller that he was carrying a weapon, though he did not show it, he then demanded money from the bank. He has not yet been apprehended. Interestingly, all the burglars were male. Some may accredit this to the idea that males are the more violent sex. However, others are opposed, and say rather that it is just a random happenstance. “I feel like males are more prone to violence, but I don’t think it could be just men robbing banks,” said Birks.

 More recently on the night of Feb. 9, and most violently, there was an armed robbery near Dulles Town Center that even drew the SWAT team to the scene. According to junior Pat Cottini, a few people were injured during the robbery. “They [the police] said there had been a shooting and they were searching for the guy, which was the reason there was two helicopters in the air with spotlights,” said Cottini, who heard about the incident through his brother who lives in the area where it occurred.

 The fact that three bank robberies and one armed robbery have ensued in the usually quiet town of Sterling,VA is saying something, and some residents are starting to feel uncertain.

“It makes me feel unsafe, we need to have the places have armed guards or have workers have guns on them. And the same for home invasions. Just the fact that someone might be armed, putting me and or my family in danger [makes him feel unsafe],” said Birks. However, in comparison to other counties, Sterling, VA is just experiencing some examples of petty crime. “Crime may be picking up, but it’s not as bad as in some other areas of the country,” said Cottini. Authorities and residents hope that this is the conclusion to the string of perilous events that have materialized in NoVa.