Fresno hit by 3 armed robberies within a few hours

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno police responded to one armed robbery after another on Friday.

Two gas stations in northwest Fresno feet away from each other were robbed at gunpoint and then not long after, a third armed robbery took place at a grocery store in southwest Fresno.

Now investigators are working to determine which of the three armed robberies - if any - are connected.

At about 7:30 p.m., two men entered the Evergreen Market in southwest Fresno - each armed with a handgun.

The clerk told officers the suspects were inside for only a few moments, holding the employee at gunpoint and demanding cash and liquor.

They were out the door with their stolen items in hand within a matter of seconds.

Investigators do not believe the suspects in this crime are involved with the two armed robberies in the northern part of the city.

"I'm fairly confident these are not related given the time frame. These occurred in the extreme north end and south end of the city. It would be very hard for the suspects to get here. The suspects in this robbery are white males, the other suspects are described as Hispanic males," said Fresno Police Lt. Anthony Dewall.

The clerk was not injured in the armed robbery.

Just minutes before the Evergreen Market robbery, thieves targeted a gas station in north Fresno and a few hours earlier, another gas station just feet away was also hit.

Both are not far from River Park.

Two workers at a Chevron at Blackstone and Spruce say their night took a drastic turn when someone who appeared to be a customer pulled out a handgun and started demanding cash from the register.

Surveillance video shows the cashier taking money out of the till, placing it into a bag as the other employee stands by in fear.

Both of those young workers were very shaken up and did not want to speak on camera.

However, their next door neighbor who runs an auto dealership did .

He was very concerned because on Friday afternoon, two of his friends who work at a nearby Valero gas station were also robbed at gunpoint.

"I know those two people, they work for almost nothing but minimum wage and stuff and have to go through this," said Nader Khodabandeh of Showcase Luxary Cars.

The two armed robberies in north Fresno took place just feet away from each other and hours apart.

Security cameras were rolling when the thieves involved in the first one walked through the door with a revolver and handgun.

One of the suspects even used his weapon to hit the employee behind the counter in the head.

Until the suspects are caught, some businesses near Blackstone and Spruce are staying on high alert.