Orleans, Terrible’s robber might be the same person

Stephen Curran

Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2004 | 9:23 a.m.

Police believe the man who robbed Terrible's casino late Tuesday night may have been the same robber who struck a change booth at the Orleans early Monday morning.

No arrests have been made or suspects identified in either robbery, although a surveillance tape from Terrible's and a description from witnesses at the Orleans are similar, Sgt. Al Cervantes of Metro's robbery section said this morning.

The Terrible's robbery occurred about 11:50 p.m. Tuesday after the robber, described as a black man with dreadlocks wearing a gray sweatshirt approached the booth and demanded the $100 bills, almost identical to the crime that occurred at the Orleans, Cervantes said.

Detectives have yet been unable to positively match the Terrible's robber with the man believed to have carried out the Orleans job, as holiday decorations at the Orleans' change booth obstructed the robber's face on the surveillance camera, he said.

And, as surveillance tapes vary in quality, they can be of limited use during a criminal investigation. Cervantes said he had not seen the footage from the Terrible's robbery.

"It really depends on the quality of the surveillance," he said. "But at the Orleans the cage was decorated so you couldn't see his face."

Police have not released how much money the robber made off with. No one was injured in either robbery, he said.

It was the latest in a string of robberies this week, which also saw thefts at the Sin City Superstore on West Cheyenne Avenue overnight. At least two more businesses reported robberies on Monday -- Screwball Sports Lounge and Restaurant, 2460 W. Warm Springs Road, and Jerry's Chevron, 3965 E. Charleston Blvd.

The robberies are part of a documented pattern that has become familiar to police officers. These types of crimes begin to spike just before Thanksgiving and later subside after the New Year, Cervantes said.

The holidays are also the season for employees to plan robberies of their own stores, for one thing, he said. Employee-involved robberies, which normally account for 5 to 10 percent of all such crimes, can spike up to 30 percent during the holidays.