Investigators believe a string of convenience store armed robberies that took place in Buena Park, La Palma and Whittier late Sunday night are connected.
The initial robbery occurred shortly before 11 p.m. at a 7-Eleven store located near the 91 Freeway and Knott Avenue, La Palma Police Department Sgt. Roche confirmed.
No further details about the robbery were immediately available.
Then, shortly after 11 p.m., a 7-Eleven located on Orangethorpe Avenue and Walker Street in La Palma was robbed at gunpoint.
The assailant in this robbery pointed a gun at the clerk, who then fainted, Roche said.
This kept the robber from being able to open the cash register, so the gunman took a customer’s wallet and fled the store.
The customer’s wallet was later found on the ground outside the store.
The robber fled westbound on Orangethorpe, possibly to a parked car nearby, Roche said.
He was described as a black man in his 20s, wearing a gray hoodie, blue surgical mask and black jeans.
A third robbery was then reported at an AM-PM convenience store in the Whittier area near the intersection of Pioneer Boulevard and Slauson Avenue.
The clerk, who said this is the second time he’s been robbed in the past year, cooperated with the robber.
Surveillance video shows the robber rummaging through the cash drawer while pointing a gun at the clerk.
Police are now searching for the assailant, who investigators say is responsible for all three robberies.