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Dollar-store robbers strike again
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Police Chief Robin Lees said Monday investigators think the two armed men who robbed a Market Street store early Sunday are part of the same crew that has committed an additional seven robberies of other stores in the city.
Lees said, however, there is a chance it could be a different crew because of the fact they hit the store early in the morning. The majority of the robberies have taken place just before 9 p.m. except for Wednesday, when two stores were hit, one after 7 p.m. and the other just before 9 p.m.
The robbers Sunday stole $1,280 cash from the Dollar General at 2023 Market St.
The manager told police she was outside sweeping when two men pointed guns at her and told her to get in the store. They held a gun to her head, forced her to open the safe and also took one of the register drawers before running away, reports said.
This is the eighth armed robbery since Oct. 10, carried out in some cases by three armed men but lately by two armed men.
On Wednesday, a 1504 Oak St. Dollar General was robbed by two men, and two men later in the day also robbed a 2708 Glenwood Ave. Family Dollar.
The Oak Street Dollar General also was robbed Oct. 28 by two men at gunpoint and an armed man tried to get inside earlier in the month at closing time but the doors were already locked.
On Market Street, the Family Dollar store there was robbed Oct. 13 and Oct. 16 by three armed and masked men, and the store was broken into three times after hours by men captured on security cameras stealing items off of shelves and putting them in backpacks.
It was discovered early Sunday that someone broke in again, this time by tearing away a piece of plywood covering a broken window from one of the previous break-ins.
There also were break-ins at that store July 23 and Sept. 12 and Sept. 17. In all of them, reports said someone broke a window with a piece of concrete, got inside, took items and ran out. Sometimes they had backpacks and put the items in those before running out.
On Oct. 10, someone pistol-whipped a clerk during an armed robbery at the McGuffey Road Dollar General. In that robbery, three men were inside, and at least one of them was armed. That was also the only incident of violence at any of the robberies.
A call Monday to the corporate offices of Dollar General was not returned.
Police have increased patrols around stores but so far have had no luck catching the robbers. Lees said police are making some “progress” on the cases.
Lees said the robbers Sunday may have been trying to change their tactics to keep police off balance, since they have committed the majority of the robberies in the evening hours.