It all started at a CVS in the 8500 block of Reseda Boulevard in Northridge at about 8:45 p.m. Wednesday. According to Los Angeles police, the suspect entered the business, went straight for the check-out counter and demanded money from the cashier.
When the clerk refused, authorities say the suspect made a beeline for a Subway restaurant in the Topanga area. In surveillance footage from that incident, the suspect is seen ordering cookies. When the employee opens the register to ring him up, the suspect pulls out a gun and demands all the money in the register. At one point, the suspect is shown grabbing the money from the register himself.
The same suspect is also believed to have held up the Walgreens on the 6000 block of Tampa Avenue in the nearby Reseda area.
West Valley LAPD officers say the suspect went through the aisles first, picked up a few items and brought them to the check-out counter. When the cashier opened the register to ring him up, that's when investigators say the suspect pulled out a gun and demanded cash. He fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money.
Police are calling this man armed and dangerous. Investigators believe he was involved in other robberies in the region.
"We have two prior incidents on this gentleman at least more than two weeks ago. So it is ongoing, and from the video footage we've captured on the incidents in West Valley, we believe it's the same gentleman," said Officer Francois Reese with the LAPD West Valley Division.
The suspect is described as a white male, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing about 150 pounds, approximately 20-25 years old, with blond hair cut in a mullet style. Investigators also say he was wearing black-rimmed glasses and carrying a blue steel handgun.
If you have any information that can help investigators track this suspect down, you're urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department at (877) LAPD-24-7 or (877) 527-3247.
