Arrest made after Subway robbery. Is it one of Belleville’s serial armed robbers?
Belleville Police arrested a man suspected of robbing an east-end sandwich shop Wednesday night.
Detectives are now working to connect the 29-year-old white male to a string of other armed robberies that began last month, according to a police release posted to social media overnight.
Officers were dispatched to the Subway at 605 Carlyle Ave. at 8:12 p.m. on the report that a white male of average build displayed a gun to employees and demanded money from the cash register.
Several officers “flooded the area” in search of the suspect, who fled the store on foot, according to the release. They located a man matching the description provided by employees nearby as he entered a vehicle.
Police found unspecified evidence in possession of the suspect and “in plain view” inside the vehicle, the release stated. The man, who employees said was wearing a gray jacket and red bandanna at the time of the crime, was taken into custody without incident and was being held at the Belleville Police Department.
Police will turn over evidence to the St. Clair County State’s Attorney for possible charges, the release stated.
According to police, detectives are looking into possible connections between the suspect in Wednesday’s incident and five similar crimes that began Nov. 4 with the armed robbery of the Food Mart, 1424 Centreville Ave, in unincorporated St. Clair County.
Employees of the store described the man to sheriff’s deputies the as a white male between 5-10 and 6-feet tall of slim build. He displayed a gun and demanded cash before fleeing on foot.
Similar crimes with a similarly-described suspect were reported at the Dollar General, 1207 Centreville Ave., on Nov. 17; Farm Fresh, 1805 North Belt West, on Nov. 24; ZX gas station, 7406 West Main Street, on Thanksgiving, Nov. 28; and Family Dollar, 6401 West Main St., on Nov. 30.
Police Capt. Mark Heffernan has said the five armed robberies have not difinitively been linked, but confirmed that Belleville Police and the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department were coordinating their investigations because of their similarities.
A second serial armed robber?
In the meantime, law enforcement is still looking for a second suspect in a likely unrelated string of armed robberies throughout east Belleville and Swansea. That man is described by the employees of four gas stations as a short black male, about 5-feet 5-inches tall with a medium to heavy build.
Belleville and Swanea Police suspect he is the same person who displayed a handgun to employees of the Casey’s at 1706 Mascoutah Ave. before making off with an undetermined amount of cash on Nov. 30.
Three other gas stations were hit by a suspect matching that discription on Monday. They include the ZX gas station at 420 Carlyle Ave.; the ZX at 2400 N. Illinois St.; and Huck’s, 4590 N. Illinois St.
There were no injuries in any of the 10 robberies, police said.
Anyone with information regarding the Belleville robberies can contact the Belleville Police Department at 618-234-1212 or leave an anonymous tip with Crimestoppers at 1-866-371-8477.
For information regarding the Swansea robberies, anyone can call Det. Gary Reuter or Det. Jason Frank at 618-233-8114 or leave an anonymous tip at the same Crimestoppers hotline.
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 5:21 AM.
