By Bay City News
Two Concord stores were robbed at gunpoint in a 15-minute period on Wednesday evening, just days after an armed robber struck two other nearby businesses, police said this morning.
Around 6:20 p.m. Wednesday, a man armed with a gun entered the Pet Food Express store in the Clayton Valley Shopping Center at 5434 Ygnacio Valley Road, according to police.
The man threatened a cashier, grabbed money and fled, police said. At 6:33 p.m., police responded to reports of a second robbery less than a mile away at the UPS Store at 5100 Clayton Road, according to police.
In that robbery, a man also brandished a gun and made off with cash, said Tricia Tamura, the store's manager. Tamura, who was not in the store when it was robbed, said there were two employees inside the business at the time but no customers.
Officers searched areas around the two businesses on Wednesday but were unable to locate the suspect. In both robberies, the suspect was described as a white man between 50 and 60 years old standing about 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall with a medium build and a bushy mustache.
He was said to be toothless and was described as looking homeless, according to police. Concord police Sgt. Robert Brady said detectives are looking into the possibility that Wednesday evening's robberies are connected to two armed robberies at nearby retailers last Saturday.
Brady said that around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, an armed robbery was reported at Sally's Beauty Supply in the Clayton Valley Shopping Center. Officers responded to another armed robbery around 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Yogurt Shack in the same shopping center.
The suspect in the first robbery was described as a man in his 30s. Witnesses to the second incident said the robber's face was concealed, Brady said. Tamura said the robbery at her store Wednesday night came about three years after burglars broke into the shop one day while it was closed.
She said the store is reviewing its security measures after learning that nearby retailers were also targeted. "That's a little worrisome," she said.
Anyone with information about any of the recent robberies is asked to call Concord police Detective Pardella at (925) 603-5922. Anonymous tips can be left at (925) 603-5836.
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