Two masked gunmen walked into a Hopewell gas station just after 9:40 p.m. Friday, pointed their weapons at whoever was inside, grabbed a large amount of cash and bolted on foot into the dark. No one was hurt, but police are still trying to figure out who the pair are and where they went after the holdup at Miller's Neighborhood Market on Oaklawn Boulevard.
The robbery happened at the gas station at 5201 Oaklawn Boulevard, according to WTVR, which reported that two people wearing dark clothing, gloves and masks walked into the business brandishing guns. The pair made off with what police described only as a large amount of money before running from the scene, and the station confirmed that no one inside was hurt. WRIC ABC 8News also covered the robbery as Hopewell police released images of persons of interest and appealed to the public for help identifying them.
Investigators Comb Over Surveillance Footage
Hopewell's Criminal Investigation Unit has taken over the case and is working to piece together what happened before, during and after the robbery, per the station's report. Officials released surveillance photographs of the two people they're calling persons of interest, though no arrests, charges or identities have been announced. Anyone with information is asked to call the Hopewell Criminal Investigations Unit at 804-541-2284, and tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Hopewell Prince George Crime Solvers hotline at 804-541-2202 or through the P3 Tips mobile app, per the same account.
Not the First Robbery at This Address
This isn't the first time that stretch of Oaklawn Boulevard has been targeted. Back in July 2023, officers were called to a BP gas station at the same 5201 Oaklawn Boulevard address after a suspect produced a handgun and demanded money from the clerk before fleeing with an undisclosed amount, according to WRIC. Police at the time described that suspect as a Black male standing roughly 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing around 170 to 190 pounds with a medium build.
Friday's robbery also isn't an isolated incident for Hopewell this year. In March, two masked suspects assaulted a worker at a Hopewell market and held them at gunpoint while taking an undisclosed amount of cash from the register along with some electronics, The Progress-Index reported. In that case, the suspects fled the store and drove eastbound on Oaklawn Boulevard, a detail that differs from Friday's robbers, who escaped on foot.
Pattern of Armed Holdups Across Hopewell
Taken together, the cases point to a string of armed robbery investigations that have kept Hopewell police busy throughout 2026, including the March market robbery and a June case in which a suspect was later identified and apprehended. The frequency of these holdups, spanning gas stations and markets across town, has investigators continuing to lean on surveillance footage and public tips to close out open cases. For now, the Friday night robbery at Miller's Neighborhood Market remains unsolved, with police asking anyone who recognizes the people in the released photos to come forward.
