Police are investigating two armed robberies that occurred within 15 minutes of each other on Thursday night in Willimantic.
According to police, a man dressed in all black with a sweatshirt hood pulled over his head walked into the Sam's Food Mart on Lower Main Street around 8 p.m. Thursday. He pointed a handgun at the clerk, demanded money and took off with cash.
While police were investigating the robbery at Sam's, they received the report of a second armed robbery across town at the A-1 gas station on West Main Street.
Police said three men clad in black entered the gas station around 8:13 p.m. One pointed a pistol at the employee and the group got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.
"We're asking anybody who might have been in the city of Willimantic last night, say between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m., anywhere on that stretch of Route 32, which is Lower Main Street to West Main Street, to look at these photographs," said Willimantic police Cpl. Stan Parizo, Jr., referring to surveillance images captured at both scenes.
"If you can identify any of the four assailants, we're asking you, please contact the Willimantic Police Department Criminal Investigation Division," he added.
It's not clear if the robberies are connected, but police said they're conducted separate investigations into the two.
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Two Willimantic police K-9 units and officers from the Willimantic police criminal investigation division investigated the incidents separately.
Police ask anyone with information to contact the department.
"Due to the fact that a weapon was displayed at both robberies we are asking for the public's assistance. All calls or information provided will be kept confidential," Corporal Stanley F. Parizo Jr., SWAT team leader for the Willimantic Police Department, said.
