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Police say the man who robbed Speedway early Tuesday morning grabbed several slices of pizza before going to the counter and demanding money from the cash register. (Danville Police / July 19, 2012) |
Danville police want the public’s help to identify a man who nonchalantly walked out of the Speedway gas station on Main Street early Tuesday with a bag full of cash and a plate full of pizza.
Police have released photos and surveillance footage from the robbery that happened shortly after 1 a.m.
In the video, the suspect is seen getting out of the passenger side of a light blue sport-utility vehicle and entering the store. The camera shows the suspect to be a black male about 6 feet tall wearing a black shirt, white shorts and black and white Air Jordan shoes.
The man spends a few minutes getting several slices of pizza from a counter in the middle of the store before he goes to the cash register as if to pay for the food. When he reaches the counter, the suspect stands with his hands at his sides, while the clerk goes off camera to get a bag, which she then fills with an undisclosed amount of cash before handing it to the suspect.
When the clerk gives him the bag, the suspect takes the money — and the pizza — and leaves the store.
According to Detective Robert Ladd, the suspect placed one of his hands near his pants pocket and implied he had a weapon but never showed one to the cashier. Ladd said the crime is odd for several reasons. The first thing that stands out is that the robber is not covering his face.
“He makes no real effort to disguise his identity, which is very unusual,” said Ladd, who noted the suspect also may have a diamond stud nose piercing.
The way the robbery transpired was peculiar, Ladd said, because the suspect doesn’t alert anyone else other than the cashier to what is happening. Employees and at least one customer in the store at the time did not know a robbery had taken place until after the suspect left the store.
On the surveillance footage, a driver can be seen sitting in the getaway vehicle, which left the parking lot headed east on Main Street following the robbery. However, Ladd said police are not certain if the driver of the vehicle even knew what had happened in the store.
The crime also is especially brazen considering Speedway’s location across the street from the police station. While there have been a string of robberies at other gas stations throughout the city over the last couple of years, Ladd said he doesn’t recall the last time Speedway, which is frequented by Danville police officers, was robbed.
It is the second time in less than a month someone has targeted a downtown business in close proximity to the police station.
In June, a man entered U.S. Bank near the corner of Main and South Fourth Street and demanded money. The suspect in that robbery also did not show a weapon and left the scene on foot.
Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call police at (859) 238-1220.
