Gunmen’s ‘scary’ style worries Metro, NLV police

Keith Paul

Wednesday, May 10, 2000 | 11:06 a.m.

Two armed robbers' "scary" style of store holdups has Metro Police concerned that future heists could turn deadly.

The suspects grab the victims by the neck or shoulders and pull them to the ground while sticking guns to the side of the victim's head, Sgt. Lori Crickett of Metro's robbery unit said.

"What's really scary is the hammer (on the gun) is cocked back and his finger is on the trigger," Crickett said.

In each robbery, the two men walk into a convenience or a liquor store and appear to be just looking around. One then pulls out a gun and jumps over the counter with the other robber going around to the other side of the counter, police said.

In each case, the men throw the clerks to the floor using more violence than is usually seen in robberies, Crickett said.

In one store surveillance tape, one of the robbers is seen smiling as he holds a gun to the head of a clerk while roughing him up in an attempt to get the money from the cash register.

The robberies started on May 2 with two occurring in Las Vegas at stores in the 3300 block of East Desert Inn Road and the 4400 block of South Decatur Boulevard. One was in North Las Vegas in the 3900 block of East Craig Road.

In the North Las Vegas robbery, the two men pulled guns on the female clerk and dragged the woman to the ground by her hair, Lt. Chris Larotonda, North Las Vegas Police spokesman, said.

The pair is thought to have hit two other stores in Las Vegas on May 4 in the 4900 block of Boulder Highway and the 5200 block of East Tropicana Avenue.

In the East Tropicana Avenue robbery, the two suspects are shown on surveillance tape calmly walking into a convenience store as two clerks stand at their registers chatting. One of the suspects suddenly pulls out a gun, with the hammer cocked and jumps over the counter.

The other robber also pulls a gun and with his finger on the trigger, runs around the counter and grabs the other clerk, pulling him to the ground by the collar of his shirt.

No one has been injured in the robberies, but Crickett said the gunmen are getting more violent with each holdup.

The robbers are both described as black males in their early 20s. One is 5 feet 9 inches tall with a medium build and last seen wearing a black shirt with white lettering on the front, dark jeans and a black nylon skull cap. The other suspect is described as about 6 feet tall with a large build and last seen wearing a black shirt, black pants and a black nylon skull cap.

Anyone with information in the Las Vegas robberies is asked to call Metro Police at 229-3591, and anyone with information in the North Las Vegas holdup is asked to call the North Las Vegas Police at 633-9111.

Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Secret Witness at 385-5555.

Keith Paul covers crime and public safety for the Sun. He can be reached at (702) 259-4057 or by e-mail at keith@lasvegassun.com.