Police are seeking a suspect who failed to rob one convenience store on the east side of town before succeeding in another robbery near campus.
At about 12:40 a.m. Saturday, a white man, with red facial hear and wearing a brown jacket and a ski mask, in his late 20s or early 30s entered the Circle K convenience store at 4405 E. Third St., Bloomington Police Department Lt. Jeff Canada said. The store’s 66-year-old clerk was in the front of the store.
“Give me the money,” the ski-masked man told the clerk, Canada said.
“Show me the gun,” the clerk responded.
The suspect pushed the clerk into a lottery ticket display near the front counter and fled the store. Once outside, he pulled out a knife and hammer and showed them to the clerk through the window. Then he headed north on foot.
Police responded to the clerk's report of the attempted robbery. A K-9 unit track on the suspect was unsuccessful.
This was the second robbery at the Circle K in three days. Early Thursday morning three suspects attempted to rob the store then fled when a gun went off and sent a shot through the store’s front window.
At about 2:50 a.m. Saturday a man with the same suspect description entered the Village Pantry at North Indiana Avenue and East 12th Street and said, “give me all the money.”
In this case the clerk complied and handed over an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect left and walked north on Indiana. Police responded and, again, a K-9 track did not succeed.
Detectives continue to investigate the crimes.
Jack Evans
