Sixth armed robbery of the month

An armed gunman terrorizing store workers in a string of robberies could be the same person responsible for Thursday's holdup of a Deering Center convenience store, police said.

The armed robbery off the Peninsula comes after five other robberies this month that have all, except for one, involved a handgun being used to demand cash.

Officials would not immediately say if Thursday's incident was directly linked to others, but said it's likely the same suspect committed more than a single robbery.

"It appears that we have one person responsible for several robberies," said Lt. Gary Rogers, a Portland police spokesman.

"This is a desperate individual who has committed several robberies now in a close time frame with each other," he said. "He is desperate and at some point he will trip up."

The most recent incident in Deering occurred at the Quality Shop at 473 Stevens Ave. shortly before 8 p.m., police said. An armed gunman yelled at employees to get on the floor and demanded money.

Four employees and one customer were in the store at the time, police said. Workers complied with his demands, and the man left the store on foot.

Rogers would not say specifically how much cash was stolen from the Quality Shop or any of the other stores or banks robbed this month, but he said generally it's not much.

"We're talking about a couple hundred dollars," he said. "It's pretty insignificant as far as money goes and what they're putting people through."

Year-to-date armed robberies have more than double compared with last year, Rogers said. Last year at this time there were five reported robberies; now, there's been 12, he said.

Police are not the only people aware of the increase; some businesses are taking what precautions they can to prevent an attack.

The manger of Paul's Food Center located on Congress Street recently added a new sign on the shop's front window advising customers to "remove all face gear and hoods before entering" the store.

"We keep our eyes open constantly," said manager Julie Parker, who taped the sign to the window following a pair of bank robberies last month.

"It's getting a lot worse over the years," she said, referring to the number of robberies.

"I said, 'No, I don't want people coming in with masks on and hoods up,'" she said. "They can remove them at the door."

In the meantime, police are hoping people with information will contact the department and leave anonymous tips.

"If people hear anything, we would certainly like to have them give us a call," Rogers said.

Also robbed this month was Cumberland Farms on Jan. 11 and Jan. 25, the University Credit Union on Jan. 12, TruChoice Credit Union on Jan. 19 and the Global Mart on Jan. 24.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Portland Police Department at 874-8533 or text an anonymous tip from a mobile phone using keyword "GOTCHA" plus the message to 274637 (CRIMES).

Paul's Food Center located at 585 Congress St. is asking shoppers to remove face masks before entering.