Once again, a gunman held up a local business late Sunday afternoon, making it the fourth armed robbery of a commercial property in the area in a week.
A second Cigarette Outlet store, this one at 1725 E. Third St., was robbed about 4:20 p.m. when a gunman walked into the Loyalsock Township business and demanded money from a male clerk, state police said. The establishment also is a check-cashing business.
The bandit fled with an undisclosed amount of cash, police confirmed.
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PHILIP A. HOLMES/Sun-Gazette
Area police responded to yet another robbery — the fourth in a week — late Sunday afternoon when a gunman held up a clerk at another Cigarette Outlet store at 1725 E. Third St. in Loyalsock Township. Investigators now believe the same suspect likely was involved in at least three of the holdups.
The first armed robbery in the area occurred about 8 p.m. Oct. 7 when an armed man fled with cash from the Nittany Minit Mart at 1450 E. Third St., just three blocks away.
The bandit described in Sunday's holdup matched the description of the gunman in at least two of the other robberies, police said.
The gunman was described as white, about 6-foot-2, with a beard, possibly fake, and weighing about 200 pounds, police said. He was wearing all black clothing, police said.
The clerk did not see what direction the gunman was headed after fleeing the business.
The store was closed as state troopers gathered evidence and took pictures of the crime scene. City police also assisted at the scene and helped in searching for the gunman.
Several customers who pulled into the parking lot after the robbery were turned away.
In addition to the Nittany Minit Mart, other recent robberies were at the Uni-Mart, 1944 W. Fourth St., on Friday and another Cigarette Outlet store on Lycoming Creek Road in Old Lycoming Township on Wednesday.
No shots were fired and no one was hurt in any of the holdups, police said.
