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'Closed' sign bandit strikes for fifth time
By CHRISTINA JEWETT
© St. Petersburg Times, PINELLAS PARK -- Customers trying to get into Rent-A-Center at 3:15 p.m. Saturday probably were a little surprised to find the store was closed. They weren't alone. The employees inside also were surprised -- by a gunman who hung a "Sorry, We're Closed" sign on the door and locked it with a piece of PVC pipe. The now familiar scenario is the fifth in a string of robberies around Pinellas County in the past 2 1/2 weeks. But this time police got a much better description of the gunman's truck. Pinellas Park police Lt. Sanfield Forseth said the truck is a light gray late 1980s or early 1990s single-cab Ford with a solid light gray topper. It may have a crack in the passenger side windshield, and there may be minor damage to the rear tailgate. An officer saw the truck leave the parking lot, but was unaware of the robbery. He was unable to catch the truck. Assistant manager Bill Griswold and employee Michel-Rene Lloyd were the only people in the store, 7070 49th St. N, when the gunman entered. He taped a black, orange and white "Sorry, We're Closed" sign on the door and then jammed the door shut. "He spun around with the gun in the air," Griswold said. "He was very loud and aggressive. He made threats of killing us if we didn't comply." They fell to the ground and gave the man their wallets. "He said "Don't look at my face. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot you,' " Lloyd said. Griswold emptied the register, which contained about $200. The suspect demanded more money, so Griswold gave him another $2,000 that was supposed to be deposited at the bank. The robber ushered the men into the bathroom. "He told us he had an acquaintance with a high-powered rifle across the street and if we came out, we'd be shot," Griswold said. No evidence of an accomplice was found. Police described the suspect as a white man in his 30s, about 6-foot-1 with a slender build. At the time of the robbery, he was wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, a baseball cap and sunglasses. Before leaving the scene, the suspect left a piece of pipe behind. "That'll be processed for fingerprints," Forseth said. "They may collect soil and impurities that may be distinct to a particular place." Prior to the Saturday hold-up, four similar robberies -- in which one or more gunmen order employees and customers to lie on the floor and hand over money and valuables -- occurred in Pinellas County: May 23 at Spec's Music, 2855 65th St. N, St. Petersburg. May 24 at Supercuts in Largo Mall, 10500 Ulmerton Road. May 27 at Blockbuster Video, 9300 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg. June 6 at the St. Petersburg Spec's Music again. Largo, St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park police are sharing information on the case. Anyone with information is asked to call Largo police Detective Diane Martin at 587-6730 or St. Petersburg police Detective Carl Watts at 551-3352.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
