Overnight W. Toledo robberies likely linked

7/24/2013

Two knifepoint convenience-store robberies a half mile apart in West Toledo were likely committed by the same person Wednesday, city police said.

Police reports on the early-morning holdups did not provide full descriptions and the suspect apparently changed clothes between holdups, but Sgt. Joe Heffernan said investigators believe the cases are linked.

A Speedway at 1708 Tremainsville Rd. was robbed at 2:03 a.m., followed at 4:46 a.m. by a robbery at a 7-Eleven at 3749 Upton Ave.

At the first robbery, a suspect entered the store just after several customers left, pointed a long butcher knife at a clerk, and demanded cash. The only customer still in the store left to call 911.

The clerk refused to hand over money, and the suspect issued several more threats and backed her up against a window. Her screaming alerted a customer pumping gas, and the suspect took cash from her hand, tried unsuccessfully to open the register, and fled on foot northwest along Tremainsville after the clerk pushed down the suspect’s arms and vowed to call police.

The suspect in that robbery was described as a thin white man, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall. He was last seen dressed entirely in black — a hooded sweatshirt, pants, gloves, and a ski mask.

At the 7-Eleven, a man held up a long knife after entering the store and demanded cash and cigarettes. As the clerk gathered the items, the suspect warned, “Hurry up or I’ll cut you, [expletive]. I’ll stab you.”

That suspect, who ran out the front door, was described only by his clothing: a red hooded sweatshirt, a black bandanna covering his face, black pants, and black Puma sneakers.