Police seek man wanted in connection with at least six robberies

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jun 24, 2009 | by Harry Harris

OAKLAND -- Police said Wednesday investigators are seeking a man wanted in connection with at least six commercial robberies around Lake Merritt since late May, including the same gas station twice.

To help identify the suspect, police on Wednesday released surveillance photos and a video of one of the robberies.

The spree started May 28 when a man robbed the Shell gas station at Fifth Avenue and International Boulevard, said Sgt. Eric Lewis. The robber hit the same station again Monday.

Over the past few weeks, police said he has robbed other gas stations and a convenience store near Lake Merritt.

The pictures released by police Wednesday are from a robbery at a Unocal 76 station at Lakeshore and Interstate 580 that occurred June 18, police said.

All robberies have taken place from 3 to 10 p.m.

Lewis said the man enters the businesses, brandishes a pistol and robs clerks of no more than a few hundred dollars in cash and some packs of cigarettes before fleeing.

No one has been injured.

In the first Shell station robbery, he apparently sat in a car with another man for a half-hour staking out the station before entering the business and robbing it, police said.

The suspect is described as an African-American man or possibly a man of mixed race with a light complexion and a possible scar on his right cheek. He is from 20 to 25 years old with a slight build. Police say he stands about 5 feet 6 and weighs about 140 pounds.

He has worn a hooded sweatshirt in the robberies. There is a second suspect who is the driver of a 1996 to 1998 light-green Honda, police said.

Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering as much as $30,000 in reward money for information leading to the man's arrest.

Anyone with information can call police at 510-238-3326 or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572 or 510-777-3211. Callers can remain anonymous.