Third armed robbery in Yuma in two days
Yuma police are investigating a third armed robbery in two days.
The latest happened at about 10:18 p.m. Monday when two unidentified males entered the Ramada Inn, 300 E. 32nd St., and demanded money from the clerk.
The first suspect is described as having a stocky build, about 5 feet 4 inches tall and wearing a gray jacket, old-man Halloween-type mask and blue jeans.
The second suspect is described having a stocky build, about 5 feet 4 inches tall and wearing a light-blue hooded sport jacket, with a white horizontal stripe across the front, and a dark bandanna covering his face.
Upon entering the hotel, the suspect wearing the mask displayed a handgun and demanded money from the clerk before ordering him to lie on the floor.
The two suspects left with an undisclosed amount of money. It is not known if they left on foot or fled to an awaiting vehicle. No information was available as to which direction they may have taken.
Two other armed robberies happened within a span of about 25 minutes of one another on Sunday, one in which shots were fired.
Yuma Police Department spokeswoman Sgt. Leanne Worthen said it is unknown at this time whether the three incidents are related, but officers and detectives are still investigating that possibility.
"A majority of our detectives are involved in the follow-up investigations into these robberies," Worthen said. "Since we have investigated the first two as possibly being related, we’ll also be looking at the latest one to see if it is possibly connected."
Sunday’s first armed robbery occurred at about 3:41 p.m. when two suspects, one armed with a handgun, approached a woman in the parking lot of El Encanto Apartments, 2651 S. 8th Ave., and demanded that she give them her purse.
The second attempt happened at 4:04 p.m. when three suspects, one armed with a handgun, approached a group of men in the 1100 block of South 5th Avenue and demanded that they give up their money and belongings.
One of the victims refused and a struggle ensued with the robber who had the gun. During the struggle, a shot was fired into the air. The suspect then struck the victim once in the side of the head, and the group of robbers fled the scene on foot.
YPD asks anyone with information in these cases to call 783-4421 or 78-CRIME (to remain anonymous).
James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @YSJamesGilbert.
