Just after 8:30 Monday night the clerk here emptied out her register when she was threatened at gunpoint. The robbers got away but police got surveillance and several more clues in the latest holdup.
During a brief break in the rain, Fresno Police say two men targeted the Sunrise Market on Fruit and McKinley. The pair walked in wearing dark clothes and demanded money while showing what appeared to be a shotgun to the female clerk.
Officer Mark Salazar said, "They went in there, knew what they wanted and they got out real quickly. So, it was a matter of seconds."
Business holdups are up 14% from last year at the same time. Police are determined to put an end to the disturbing trend.
Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said, "It's just a matter of time before we catch anyone that's involved in armed robberies in our city. Because I can guarantee you that they are going to commit a robbery at a location and an officer is going to be in the area either in uniform or not in uniform and we are going to apprehend these individuals."
Investigators say the latest mini mart hit had cameras and they were working at the time. Officers are now comparing notes trying to see if the suspects are the same.
"We have investigators now on scene trying to connect those dots," said Officer Salazar.
Witnesses told police the robbers ran southbound and got into a dark colored SUV before leaving the scene. Investigators believe it's a handful of suspects responsible for more than a dozen robberies since late October.
The holiday season has also brought desperate thieves out. Fresno Police say a teenager was robbed at gunpoint Friday for his cell phone at a park near Fashion Fair. The hunt for the suspects prompted the evacuation of Macy's while police looked for those responsible.
On Saturday, armed men stormed in a Central Fresno sandwich shop, told customers to get on the ground and then took off with an undisclosed amount of money.
Peter Photisane said, "And they said, give me all money, give me all money. Give me everything."
Fresno Police are not giving a specific description of the suspects. Minutes after the robbery the area was flooded with officers both undercover and uniformed officers. So far no luck tracking down the suspects.
