Two armed robberies took place within three hours of each other Sunday night in Gainesville.
After locking up for the night and walking to his car around 10 p.m., an employee of Tailgate Beverages was surprised by an armed man hiding behind the other side of his white SUV, wrote Gainesville Police spokesperson Officer Ben Tobias in an email.
According to released security footage, the employee appeared to be fumbling around, looking for items inside of his car before the robber ran around the hood of the car and attacked.
The robber, wearing a black hoodie and gloves to conceal his identity, grabbed the employee from behind and demanded his wallet before striking him in the back of the head with his gun and running away, Tobias said.
It is not yet known exactly how much money was stolen. Tobias said police haven’t responded to a robbery in the area surrounding that liquor store, located at 4340 SW 20th Ave., in a while.
Fewer than three hours later, a second armed robber held up the X-Mart Adult Supercenter on Southwest 13th Street. Shortly after 1 a.m., the robber pointed his handgun at an X-Mart employee, demanded cash and ran away with the money before police arrived, according to Alligator archives.
The man wore a pantyhose mask to conceal his identity.
The robbers from both incidents are still on the loose, as of press time. Tobias said it is presently unclear if the two robberies are related.
“Crime can happen anywhere, at any time,” Tobias said. “Residents need to always be aware of their surroundings and always have a plan if they find themselves in a situation such as this.”
