Two Youngstown robberies in a 30-minute span

YOUNGSTOWN — Police reported two robberies early this morning within a half hour of each other.

About 12:25 a.m. police were called to a home in the 200 block of Gaither Avenue on the South Side, where a 19-year-old from Poland told them he was there to buy Xanax when someone hit him in the neck with a pipe and took cash and his iPhone, then left in the same vehicle the victim came to the home in.

The victim declined to be treated but he did have a bruise, reports said.

About 12:50 a.m. police were called to a home in the first block of Rhoda Avenue on the West Side, where a 21-year-old man told them he was helping his grandmother take something out of her car when a man dressed in black walked up to him, pointed a gun and demanded his money.

Reports said the robber got away with the man’s wallet and cell phone and ran away. Police searched the area but could find no suspects.