Fort Worth police looking for ‘serial robber’

Police are looking for a “serial robber” who most recently tried to rob a clerk at a Michaels craft store.

Detectives are asking for the public’s help identifying the man, who told a clerk that he had a gun when he tried to rob the store at 4921 Overton Ridge Blvd. at 8:50 p.m. Thursday.

“He comes into the store and tries to pretend to be a regular customer,” Fort Worth police Detective Brian Raynsford told the Star-Telegram. “When no [customers] are around, he will indicate he has a weapon and demands cash from the clerk.”

The clerk at Michaels picked up the phone to call the store manager, scaring the robber and sending him running, Raynsford said.

On Feb. 7, the man stole from a Family Dollar at 1700 Sycamore School Road at 9:40 p.m. He placed his hand inside his jacket, told the clerk he had a gun and took cash from the register, police said.

Raynsford said in both cases the clerks saw something in his pocket that they believed to be a gun.

“We won’t know for sure until we arrest him, but the victims did fear there was a weapon,” he said.

Raynsford said police are working to see if the man has held up stores in other cities.

They don’t have a description of a getaway vehicle. They know that he likes to “browse around” the store and bring items to the front counter when no one is around. Then, when the clerks attempt to ring him up, he strikes, Raynsford said.

The man is described as Hispanic, 30 to 40, between 5 feet 7 and 5 feet 9, and about 230 pounds.

“We are hoping we can get him identified before he hurts someone,” Raynsford said.

This story was originally published February 16, 2015 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Fort Worth police looking for ‘serial robber’."