The San Diego Police Department is continuing their investigation on a series of gas station robberies that occurred earlier this month in Kearny Mesa, Grantville and University City.
The robberies began on Mar. 10, when a male suspect – dubbed the “Red Beard Bandit” by San Diego Police -- committed an armed robbery at the AM/PM at 3700 Murphy Canyon Rd. The suspect pulled a black handgun from his jacket pocket and demanded money from the clerk. Once he got the cash, the suspect fled the scene.
The robberies continued with two more cases the following evening, on Mar. 11. The Arco gas station at 6400 Mission Gorge Rd. was robbed at around 7:15 p.m., followed by a robbery at the AM/PM located at 8800 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. around 10 p.m. On Mar. 12, the same suspect allegedly robbed the United Oil gas station at 3800 Governor Dr. just before 10:30 p.m., again with a handgun, according to police.
Then, on Mar. 13, he robbed the Shell gas station at 7700 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. The suspect fled toward the parking lot but the clerk chased him down, resulting in a struggle, police said. The suspect left his handgun and stolen money in the parking lot and was seen getting into the passenger side of a maroon Chrysler Sebring.
The San Diego Police Department said the alleged suspect in connection with these robberies is described as a white male in his 40s to 50s. He’s 6-feet-tall with a medium to heavy build and wore a dark hooded jacket with the word “Viejas” on the front, a dark or red baseball cap and jeans during the armed robberies.
Police said he’s described as having red hair and a red beard in two cases, so they’ve appropriately dubbed him the “Red Beard Bandit.”
Anyone with information connected to this case is urged to contact the San Diego Police Department’s Robbery Unit at (619) 531-2299.
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