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Concerns Rise As More Driveway Robberies Committed

DALLAS COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - There's real concern as driveway robberies continue to happen, especially in east Dallas.

The latest victim is a father who fought off an armed gunman in front of his frightened children.

Chris Kuhner remembered how everything began. "A guy came walking toward me from the sidewalk… big guy, dressed in black."

Kuhner and his twin six-year-old daughters had just pulled up to their home, near White Rock Lake, when a man with a gun approached on foot.

One of Kuhner's daughters said, "The robber came up to Daddy and he said 'give me your wallet.'"

The command was accompanied by the brandishing of a gun.

Kuhner, a lawyer in Dallas, wasn't carrying a wallet and worried about how the robber would react. So he did what few victims like him have done -- he fought back.

"I wasn't going to let him in my house, or go in my house and get my wallet for him, because my child was still in the car. I kind of reached out and touched his gun hand and at that point he backed off and jumped back into... there was a black SUV."

Since the beginning of the year, CBS 11 News has documented more than 30 driveway robberies, most of them in east Dallas and at least one captured by a security camera.

The Kuhner's experience has had an impact on their neighbors who are now taking precautions.

Cristina Nicholson and her husband, Michael, say they're uncomfortable even walking their dog in the neighborhood and now, "always try to park in our garage."

Michael Nicholson said it all boils down to a level of comfort. "It doesn't feel safe right now," he said. "People shouldn't have to live in fear of this happening to them."

While some of the robberies have similarities -- the suspect descriptions and weapons used have made it hard to tie the crimes together.

So far police have not responded to repeated CBS 11 questions about the attacks that continue to have people on edge.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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