Police: Similar robber descriptions in Jimmy John’s, Pizza Hut cases

Police think two crimes that happened about two hours apart late Sunday night and early Monday morning may have been committed by the same man.

A 25-year-old man told officers that a stranger approached him at about 10:30 p.m. behind the Jimmy John’s in the 3300 block of North Rock Road and demanded the deposit bag, Lt. Joe Schroeder said. The employee told the suspect he did not have the bag, and the suspect ran northeast from the business.

The employee said the suspect was a black male about the age of 25. He was brandishing a gun and was wearing a camouflage ball cap, a black shirt, black shoes and camouflage shorts.

About two hours later, three Pizza Hut employees were waiting for a ride outside the restaurant in the 1700 block of East Pawnee when a stranger approached and demanded the business’ bank deposit bag, Schroeder said.

They told him they didn’t have it, so he ordered them to surrender their cellphones and money. They complied. He then ran north.

The victims told police the suspect was a black male about 5-feet-7 and 150 pounds. He was unshaven, armed with a handgun and wore a camouflage hat, camouflage shorts, a black shirt and black shoes.

Investigators “are going to look at both robberies and follow up on it,” Schroeder said.

This story was originally published June 22, 2015 at 1:05 PM with the headline "Police: Similar robber descriptions in Jimmy John’s, Pizza Hut cases."