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Hampton police look for serial gas station robber on the run

Posted at 12:00 AM, Oct 10, 2013
and last updated 2013-10-10 00:00:00-04

Hampton, Va. - Hampton police are looking for a man who they say is responsible for five gas station robberies throughout the city since October 2nd.

Two of the hold ups were about five hours apart, Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning at the same 7-Eleven off Kecoughtan Road.

“It’s a real shame, you know it's a nice neighborhood with a lot of families and I come here every single day, so it makes you think twice about coming at night," says Marisha Vollett, a regular customer.

Less than three hours later, around 5:30 Wednesday morning, the man was caught on surveillance again, robbing another 7-Eleven off Aberdeen road.

Ron Patel is a manager at the store.

"Maybe he was watching from outside. She was alone at that time," he says.

Patel says his employee was counting cash at the time. Unlike the video provided by police, Patel says when the thief walked in his store, he wasn't wearing shoes.

"He didn't look like a professional guy,” Patel says. “He looked like a bum. No shoes, nothing. You know, just the socks. He walked in and asked for money."

He never showed a gun, but threatened to shoot, according to Patel.

"The lady got scared,” Patel says. “She got away from the register. He walked behind the counter, he grabbed the cash box and walked out."

The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 5’6”-5’7”, 170-190 pounds, late 20s to early 30s with a close cut hair cut. In several of the robberies the suspect was last seen wearing a dark colored zip-up jacket. If you have any information, contact Hampton Police at 762-6111 or the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.