A masked gunman walked into a Dallas convenience store late at night, pointed a handgun at the lone clerk working the register, and forced him to stuff cash and Newport cigarettes into a black duffel bag before vanishing. Dallas police say the robbery happened at Buy Low Discount Beer & Wine in the 2900 block of RL Thornton Freeway in Oak Cliff, and they still don't know who did it.
According to FOX 4, the suspect entered the store around 10:46 p.m. on September 9 dressed head to toe in black. He displayed a handgun toward the clerk, who was working alone at the time, and ordered him to empty the register into the bag. The same report says he then directed the clerk to grab Newport cigarettes from behind the counter and add those to the haul as well.
The clerk later described the robber to police as a 5-foot-7-inch Black male, but identifying him won't be easy. Surveillance cameras captured the entire encounter, yet the suspect's face stayed completely covered throughout, leaving investigators without a clear look at who they're searching for.
Detective Believes This Isn't His First Robbery
Dallas Police Det. Eduardo Lopez Villa told FOX 4 he believes the suspect has pulled off a similar robbery before, and he expects the pattern to continue if the man isn't caught. Lopez Villa encouraged anyone with information to come forward, even though the suspect's face was covered.
Dallas Police Det. John Brow is listed as the lead investigator on the case. The Dallas Police Department is asking anyone with information to come forward and can be reached at (214) 347-1591 or by email at [email protected].
Repeated Armed Robberies at an Oak Cliff Store
Dallas police are investigating three robberies at a convenience store in the 2200 block of Cedar Crest Boulevard, with incidents on June 20, June 26 and July 9, according to NBC 5 DFW. In those cases, suspects reportedly arrived around closing time, forced employees to reopen the store at gunpoint, and stole money from the register.
That same store, identified as Friendly Food Mart at 2200 Cedar Crest Boulevard in East Oak Cliff, was the site of all three robberies. The first involved one suspect, while the other two involved two suspects each; police believe the same suspects were responsible for the incidents, per a separate report from FOX 4. Investigators said the masked suspects brandished AR-15-style weapons as the store closed for the night. A security guard placed inside the store after the first two robberies was herself robbed of her firearm during the third incident, though no one was physically assaulted in any of the three robberies.
It remains unclear whether the September 9 robbery at Buy Low Discount Beer & Wine is connected to the Cedar Crest Boulevard cases, and police have not said the incidents are linked. For now, investigators are focused on identifying the man seen on surveillance video walking out of the Oak Cliff beer store with a bag full of cash and cigarettes, hoping someone recognizes him before he strikes again.
