Suspect linked
to two robberies

Philadelphia police have linked an earlier armed robbery to the man who held up a Holmesburg dollar store on Jan. 6 and remains at large.
According to Lt. Mark Burgmann of Northeast Detectives, the robber’s method was similar in both heists. Also, physical descriptions of the suspect from both crimes were similar.
The earlier robbery occurred on Dec. 14 at the Rite-Aid, 8445 Frankford Ave., at about 8:10 a.m. The suspect entered the pharmacy, waited for other patrons to exit, then pulled a gun on the male cashier.
The masked gunman forced the clerk to lock the front door, then forced him to open a safe. The suspect stuffed about $1,500 into a black duffel bag, then used plastic wire ties to bound the cashier.
A similar heist occurred on Jan 6 at the Dollar Tree, 8045 Frankford Ave., shortly after 6 p.m.
The suspect entered the store about 10 minutes before closing time and hid near the rear until the patrons left and employees locked up for the evening. As two women cashiers counted money in a back room, the suspect confronted them with gun drawn.
He forced them to open a safe, stuffed about $2,000 into his bag and bound the women with plastic wire ties.
Though the man entered the store with his face exposed in the second incident, he donned a mask before announcing the robbery.
In both cases, the suspect was described as Hispanic and speaking with a thick accent. He is short — about 5 feet 3 or 5 feet 4 — and thin, weighing about 140 pounds. In both cases, he wore a gray ski cap and mask or scarf. At Dollar Tree, the man wore a black hoodie with a large design on the front. At Rite-Aid, he wore a gray coat.
No injuries were reported in either case.
Call Northeast Detectives at 215-686-3153 to report information about the crimes. ••