A store on Columbia Pike was robbed by armed suspects just before midnight last night, and police believe there may be a connection to a similar robbery over the weekend.
Police responded after two masked men — one with a gun — robbed a store on the 4900 block of Columbia Pike, which is across the street from the Arlington Mill Community Center. Police did not specify which business was robbed, but that spot is home to a 7-Eleven.
The suspects fled the scene in a car that had been parked nearby. They got away with an undisclosed amount of cash and valuables.
Police say the circumstances of this armed robbery are similar to Saturday’s store robbery in Virginia Square. “Due to the many similarities we are not only actively investigating each robbery individually, but also from the prospective likelihood that they are related,” says Deputy Chief Daniel Murray.
Although police do not name affected businesses, they confirm both incidents involved the same type of commercial establishment. The suspects’ descriptions, included below in an ACPD crime report, also bear a resemblance to the Virginia Square robbery.
ARMED ROBBERY, 2017-04120301, 4900 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 11:53 p.m. on April 12, officers responded to the report of an armed robbery that had just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined two masked male suspects, one brandishing a firearm, entered a store and demanded cash and items of value. The suspects then fled the scene in a nearby parked vehicle with an undisclosed amount of cash and items of value. The first suspect is described as a black male, approximately 6’0″ tall. He was wearing dark jeans, a black hoodie, a black mask, and white gloves. The second suspect is described as a black male, approximately 5’5″-5’8″ tall. He was wearing olive green pants, a black hoodie, a black mask, and white gloves. The investigation is ongoing.