FLORIDA CITY, FLA. (WSVN) - - The search is on for a man after, police said, he robbed two convenience stores in Florida City at gunpoint.
The man was seen armed in El Charrito Mart, located at 636 West Palm Drive, at around 8:30 p.m. on July 6, and at RT Food Mart, located at 893 West Palm Drive, just two days later, at around 10 p.m.
Police said the subject managed to access the cash registers behind the counter and leave with money from the registers in both incidents.
Mike Kashem said he was working behind the register at RT Food Mart at the time of the second robbery.
“Just as usual on a Saturday night, it was a busy night,” he said.
While he was helping another customer, Kashem said, the robber made his move.
“He just came in and pulled a gun at me and said, ‘Get on your knees,'” he said.
As the robber was cleaning out the cash drawer, Kashem said he thought about fighting back.
“And I saw his hand was hanging. I thought, ‘Should I grab it?’ The I said, ‘No, I don’t want to do that,’ and let him have it,” he said.
The robber got away with about $700 in cash, adding to the stash he collected at El Charrito.
Surveillance video from an exterior camera behind El Charrito captured a man hopping a fence. An interior camera captured the man, wearing an orange hoodie, as he walked in through the front door, pulled a gun out of his pocket and pointed it a the clerk behind the register.
Surveillance video showed the robber as he grabbed wads of money and took off the same way he came in.
Investigators were able to capture still images of the criminal from surveillance videos of those aforementioned incidents.
“As always, we appreciate your assistance and hope that this may create leads in this case,” said a spokesperson for Florida City Police Department in an email regarding these crimes.
As for Kashem, he hopes the robber is caught before he strikes again.
“I just hope he gets arrested, if he could do [this] to me, he would do to another store, and listen, people work very hard for the money,” he said.
If you have any information on these robberies or the subject’s whereabouts, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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