Be on alert! Robber has hit 6 North Texas grocery stores, 3 in Fort Worth
A robber who claims to have a gun and a knife has targeted six North Texas grocery stores since August in a holdup spree that has netted him an undisclosed amount of money, authorities said Monday.
The bandit has hit Fort Worth three times, robbing a Kroger on Camp Bowie Boulevard twice in just over a month, Fort Worth police said.
No injuries have been reported in the robberies and attempted holdups.
Fort Worth police on Monday released a store surveillance video of the suspect in hopes that someone would recognize him and contact police.
In each case, the robber has driven off in a mid-2000s silver Kia Spectra. Fort Worth police said the suspect may change the plates on the Kia as the car appears to have paper plates in some holdups and regular plates in others. The car is parked in the fire lane in every robbery.
Fort Worth police described the man as about 45 to 60 years old, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, and about 170 pounds. He has worn black glasses, a medical face mask, a baseball cap and a black watch in each holdup.
Here’s the list of attempted holdups and robberies in North Texas:
▪ 5:33 pm., Aug. 4: A man attempted to rob a Brookshire’s Food & Pharmacy in Willow Park, Texas.
▪ Aug. 4: Later that evening, a man robbed a Kroger at 9114 Camp Bowie Blvd. in Fort Worth. He approached the customer service desk, told the employee he had a knife and demanded she put money from the register into a plastic grocery bag he had brought with him. He took the money, left the store and jumped into a Kia Spectra that was parked in a fire lane.
▪ 8:30 p.m., Sept. 6: The suspect stole money from Kroger at 945 W. Lamar Blvd. in Arlington. He walked up to a service desk, demanded money and left with the cash in a grocery bag he had brought with him. He ran out of the store and stepped into a Kia Spectra parked in a fire lane.
▪ 8:18 p.m., Sept. 10: He returned to the Kroger on Camp Bowie Boulevard in Fort Worth and robbed it again. He followed the same routine as in the other holdups.
▪ 8:16 a.m., Sept. 15: The man tried to rob the Kroger at 1001 N. Beckly Ave. in DeSoto, but he fled when he walked up to the customer service desk and was told it was closed. He ran out of the store and drove away in Kia Spectra.
▪ 4:40 p.m., Sept. 16: The bandit stole money from the Kroger at 3120 S. University Drive in Fort Worth. He told employees at the customer service desk he and a gun and a knife. He demanded money, put the cash in a plastic grocery bag and fled the store. He one again jumped into a Kia Spectra parked in a fire lane.
Anyone with information should call Fort Worth police at 817-392-4377.
This story was originally published September 21, 2020 at 1:29 PM.
