ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, August 20, 1996 TAG: 9608200063
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
The robbers carried guns and wore brightly colored ski masks, according to witnesses. Within 48 hours this weekend, they committed three robberies in Roanoke. And police say a North Roanoke County food store that closed 10 minutes early probably unwittingly foiled a fourth attempt.
The robberies began at 12:27 a.m. Saturday, when two armed men held up a Northeast Roanoke convenience store. One wore a yellow ski mask; the other's was orange.
The men walked into the Turbo Food Market at 4101 Plantation Road as the clerk stocked the shelves. One of the men carried a blue-steel handgun. The two demanded money, and the clerk turned over an undisclosed amount of cash.
At 5:32 a.m., police responded to a convenience store robbery in Southwest Roanoke. Witnesses told police the robbers at the Uni-Mart store at 1202 S. Jefferson St. also wore yellow and orange ski masks. One of them - armed with a handgun - demanded money.
As the clerk got the money, the unarmed robber told his accomplice to kill the clerk because he was taking too much time, police said.
Ten minutes later and several miles away, the 7-Eleven Food Store at 2402 Grandin Road S.W. was robbed. As in the Uni-Mart robbery, the unarmed robber urged his accomplice to shoot the clerk.
No one was injured in any of the incidents.
Police think one of the robbers struck again late Sunday.
At 11:50 p.m., shortly after employees of the Subway restaurant at 7307-A Williamson Road locked the door, a man wearing an orange ski mask and carrying a gun tried to get in.
He walked away when he was unable to open the door. A passer-by flagged down a patrol officer minutes later, but the officer was unable to find the masked man.
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