Police: Businesses Should Be on Lookout for Armed Robber

After two armed robberies in Tosa and Milwaukee on Sept. 10, Milwaukee police said the same man was suspected in as many as a dozen more incidents, as on Wauwatosa Patch.

Milwaukee police have now released a detailed list of 15 holdups they believe the same man has committed in less than one month, beginning Aug. 18. Area police departments are warning owners and employees of gas stations and other small businesses to beware of a suspect who, in one case, fired a shot at a shop proprietor.

The warning comes with a set of photos taken from one of the early robberies in Wauwatosa (see accompanying poster).

Descriptions from victims and images from video surveillance cameras point to a lone white male, about 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighing about 140 pounds. He has blue eyes and blond hair according to a number of reports, but is always masked. He has worn a Packers hooded sweatshirt in some incidents and often sports a light-colored baseball cap.

In the first three incidents reported, the suspect carried a black or dark-colored semi-automatic handgun. Since then, he was seen carrying a small silver revolver.

In one case, he used it.

At 9:45 on Sept. 7, the suspect entered the S&M Petro Mart at 7520 W. Stevenson St. in Milwaukee, just south of Wauwatosa and almost across the street from Pius XI High School. When the clerk reached under the counter, the robber became nervous, according to the police report, and retreated.

The clerk came out with a baseball bat and chased the suspect, who turned and fired a single shot. A slug from the gun was recovered.

On Sept. 10, the suspect robbed the at 11216 Blue Mound Rd. in Wauwatosa and Milwaukee police showed up to join the investigation because he is believed to have also robbed A One Liquor, 3107 S. 92nd St., earlier that evening.

On Aug. 22, the same suspect was thought to have robbed , 11712 W. North Ave. in Tosa.

The robber gets around. The Milwaukee investigators compiled a list that relates five hold-ups in Milwaukee, two each in Wauwatosa, Mequon and West Allis, and one each in Menomonee Falls, Greenfield, Oak Creek and Waukesha.

A complete list of the times, dates, locations and descriptions can be viewed on the PDF file included in our photo gallery.