Police suspect same man committed 3 armed robberies in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor police released more information on the three armed robberies reported early Thursday morning and continue to look for the man believed to be involved in all three.
Ann Arbor police Lt. Renee Bush said the robber was described as either wearing a ski mask or balaclava and carrying a black handgun in all three incidents, leading police to believe the robberies were committed by the same suspect.
The first robbery took place at 1 a.m. Thursday at the corner of Washington and Mulholland streets. Bush said the robber stole a cellphone and wallet from a 20-year-old Ann Arbor man after pointing a gun at him.
The suspect in that incident is described a black man in his 20s, between 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall with brown eyes. He was wearing a dark ski mask, a puffy blue winter jacket and black pants and shoes.
In the second robbery, two 20-year-old Ann Arbor men were approaching their home in the 1100 block of South Forest Avenue at 1:24 a.m. Thursday when they heard a man call out to them. They had been aware the man was following them for a few minutes, but hadn’t thought anything of it because many people live in the area.
When they turned around, the man pointed a black handgun at them and stole cash, credit cards, identification cards, both of their wallets and a cellphone, police said. They told police the man was black, in his 20s, had a medium build, was wearing a balaclava and was about 5 feet 9 inches tall.
The final robbery took place at 2:41 a.m. Thursday near Cambridge and Olivia streets. Bush said a 24-year-old South Lyon man, a 21-year-old Ann Arbor man and a 23-year-old South Lyon woman were approached by a man who demanded their phones.
Originally thinking it was a joke, the three didn’t do anything until the man pointed a handgun at them. They then handed over bank cards, identification cards, a purse, two wallets, cash and two cellphones, police said.
The man is described as black with a medium build. The victims said he was 5 feet 2 inches to 5 feet 6 inches tall and was wearing a blue zip-up hooded sweatshirt with a block M, a balaclava and dark jeans.
Anyone with information on these incidents is encouraged to call the Ann Arbor police anonymous tip line at 734-794-6939 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK UP (773-2587).
View 900 W Washington St in a larger map
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
George K
Mon, Sep 17, 2012 : 4:58 p.m.
How can this happen? Ann Arbor is a Pistol-Free zone! You mean the bad guys aren't following the laws?!? Responsible citizens need to carry at all times. However, I don't know if that would have helped anyone here. If they have a gun pointed at you and you draw, then you're telling them to shoot you. At night, with limited visibility, I would think REALLY hard about drawing before doing it. Running is probably the best option, and if they follow then you can find a nice crowded place and shout "Rape".
FormerMichRes
Sat, Sep 15, 2012 : 12:11 p.m.
I continue to see commenters complaining about the Mayor ... but Ann Arborites will still elect him into office and probably by a wide margin. Hoping for a change I guess? Unless YOU change the people and the mindset in YOUR city government, the results will never change. How are those property values? Need more bars on the windows? Ann Arbor is a small city with big city problems... and stop blaming the UM students. That was a stale excuse 20 years ago.
CynicA2
Sat, Sep 15, 2012 : 8:45 p.m.
We are s-l-o-w-l-y changing the make-up of the city council, which is a good first step - the Hieftje is no longer guaranteed to get whatever he wants from his rubber-stamp council. As soon as a viable alternative mayoral candidate emerges, the Hieftje will be history, as will the legion of political appointees he installed on every board and commission in existence, plus a few more (like "Public Art") he created just for fun.
brian
Sat, Sep 15, 2012 : 4:31 a.m.
I'll stay in Ypsi thank you very much.
Beth Mayhand
Sat, Sep 15, 2012 : 1:08 a.m.
It wouldn't matter if there were 100,000 police. Nothing will stop what the Lord has promised. Ann Arbor is not exempt from His wrath! 1 Thessalonians 5 "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." and Ezekiel 7: 25 "Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none." These are not words written in vain. We keep ignoring what God has warned and we will soon find that the destruction has suddenly arrived and there will be nothing to do and nowhere to hide. Forget about what man is doing and worry about what the Lord is doing and will continue to do to the world.
Ricebrnr
Sat, Sep 15, 2012 : 10:45 a.m.
Lol you go ahead and cling to your religion and worry about what God is doing. Not even I would blame the Lord for this. I will cling to my guns and worry about what man is doing.
Milton Shift
Sat, Sep 15, 2012 : 5:52 a.m.
Thumbs up for madness. Just what America needs.
LaMusica
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 10:23 p.m.
Pretty scary...and even though he has a weapon, it's more worrying that he's not afraid to approach a group of people. I hope police catch this guy before he decides to use that gun...
Roy Munson
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 9:56 p.m.
If you walk around Ann Arbor that time of night anymore, you almost need to expect to be held up. Might be a good idea to carry a second wallet with a few bucks in it!
CynicA2
Sat, Sep 15, 2012 : 3:16 a.m.
Might be better to get a CCW and carry a gun with a few bullets in it.
Ricebrnr
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 8:52 p.m.
How sad that criminals not only feel emboldened to come hunt in Ann Arbor but that if true in this case, that they actually feel empowered to stay awhile. They don't feel lucky to get one score, they feel entitled to try for several more. If criminals do not fear apprehension from the law, perhaps they should be apprehensive of their supposed victims instead.
Meangoblue
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 8:50 p.m.
There is this guy that I know and he said........ "He should be apprehended IMMEDIATELY and turned over to the proper authorities!!" "The main suspect is a man with the alias Exposo the clown."
CynicA2
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 6:55 p.m.
Right in the middle of the supposedly "safe" Old West Side, and the even "safer" Burns Park area, not that far from the Hieftje's house... wanna cut a few more cops, Mr. Mayor?? Can you spell B-O-Z-O?
annarboral
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 6:10 p.m.
Wouldn't it be nice if our police prevented crimes. Wouldn't it have been nice if the second and third crimes committed had been prevented. All our police seem capable of doing is reporting what happened. Why can't our police prevent crime? Could it be that there are simply too few police? Could it be that our policiticians have established rules and laws that make our police impotent? Do you now feel safe when going downtown?
Angry Moderate
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 8:22 p.m.
What exactly do you want them to do? Hire 10,000 police officers and put them up and down every street, 24 hours a day?
cohensh
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 7:10 p.m.
Police don't have to prevent crime or protect people. Only enforce laws: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1976377/posts
Bertha Venation
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 5:26 p.m.
Nothing good happens after midnight.
jeepinkev
Fri, Sep 14, 2012 : 4:58 p.m.
"Ann Arbor police Lt. Renee Bush said the robber was described as either wearing a ski mask or balaclava and carrying a black handgun in all three incidents, leading police to believe the robberies were committed by the same suspet." I don't know...better have another look at this case...COME ON...Anyone reading the first article knew it was the same guy...even my six year old nephew. Oh well, I guess everything has to be run through "the process"