Purple bag, long knife reported in two Wichita business robberies

Two robberies at businesses involving a man wielding a long knife and putting money in a purple bag were reported Friday, police said Saturday. There were no injuries in either occurrence.

The first robbery happened at 11:15 a.m. Friday at the Tillie’s Flower Shop at 715 N. West St., said police Sgt. Roger Runft. A woman who was working at the cash register said a man came in and pointed a long serrated knife at her and told her to open the register. When she did, he took all the cash, put it in a purple book bag and left on foot, Runft said.

The second robbery was at 3:25 p.m. at the Wichita Inn at 3741 N. Rock Road. A man came up to the front desk with a large life and demanded money. He was given a small amount of cash and put the money in a purple bag, the clerk reported, and then left on foot, Runft said.

This story was originally published July 4, 2015 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Purple bag, long knife reported in two Wichita business robberies."