Police are searching for a suspect after three armed robberies occurred within the same hour near University Avenue Sunday night, according to Gainesville Police Department.
Police believe the same suspect, who was armed with a handgun, committed all three robberies, GPD spokesperson Graham Glover said.
The first armed robbery was at about 8 p.m. at the Target on the corner of Southwest 13th Street and Northwest Third Avenue, Glover said. A UF public safety alert sent to students and faculty first said there was an armed robbery at the Krispy Kreme across the street before updating the address to Target.
UF sent out another alert at 8:27 p.m. about an armed robbery at the Chevron gas station at 1024 W. University Ave. A third robbery happened at the Dollar General on 1080 NE 16th Ave., Glover said. UF did not send out a public safety alert for the third robbery.
The alerts described the suspect as a Black man with a handgun whose height ranges from 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet 2 inches tall. The suspect was wearing a grey hoodie, grey pants and had a bag with orange drawstrings, according to the alerts. The suspect’s head and face were covered, Glover said.
UF is required to send out “timely warning messages” about crimes deemed a serious or constant threat to the campus community or UF properties under the Clery Act, a federal law requiring universities to notify students and faculty of campus threats, such as sexual assault and gun violence.
The suspect was last seen heading northbound on 11th Street on Sunday night, according to the UF alert. He had not been located as of Monday afternoon.
Police ask anyone with information about the Sunday incidents to call 352-955-1818 or 911.
Anna Wilder is a second-year journalism major and the criminal justice reporter. She's from Melbourne, Florida, and she enjoys being outdoors or playing the viola when she's not writing.
