Masked, Armed Duo Rob And Run Deputies Suspect Same Pair Involved In 2 Valley Robberies

The same pair of masked bandits may have robbed two Spokane Valley businesses late Tuesday and early Wednesday, deputies said.

The first robbery occurred at the Express Lane Food Mart, 13800 E. Trent.

A clerk told deputies two men entered the store about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. One of them pulled out a black semiautomatic pistol and demanded money while the other stood by the door, apparently serving as a lookout.

The robbers took a small amount of cash and ran away.

About an hour and 20 minutes later, an employee at the Holiday Convenience Store at 400 N. Pines called 911 to say he’d been robbed.

The clerk said he was sweeping up when a man brandishing a black semiautomatic pistol grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him to the cash register.

The robber, who had a white rag or handkerchief over his face, grabbed some money and ran away. Witnesses said they saw a second man wearing a mask standing outside the store about the time of the robbery.

No one was hurt in either incident.

In both cases, the gunman was described as a white man in his 20s or 30s, about 5 feet 11 inches tall and 180 pounds, with brown hair. Witnesses did not give good descriptions of his accomplice.

Deputies suspect a Chevrolet S-10 pickup may have been used as a getaway car in at least one of the robberies. Witnesses said it was a red two-wheel drive with chrome wheels and pinstripes.

Anyone with information on the robberies is asked to call Crime Check at 456-2233.

, DataTimes