Police seek help to capture robbery suspects

Honolulu police said there may be at least three different individuals or groups involved in fast-food restaurant, convenience store and bank robberies in the past few months.

Criminal Investigation Division Commander Maj. Lester Hite said the suspects generally are all masked, wearing hoodies or caps and that many are armed with rifles or handguns and are careful to leave no fingerprints.

Police held a news conference Friday at the main police station where they also offered safety tips for businesses, customers, employees and the public, and urged the public to call 911 and not to approach possible suspects since they may be armed and dangerous.

At least 11 armed robberies occurred at convenience stores, 24-hour drugstores and fast-food restaurants from June 30 to Friday.

In past cases, police have solved robberies in which the suspect’s face was obscured by getting tips from the public.

"In this case no one seems to be really talking, which seems to be unusual," Hite said.

"We do have tips and leads, but nothing has been extremely viable," he said. "You don’t have a police officer on every corner. The way crime gets solved is by the community’s participation, and that is what’s needed at this time and that is how I believe the crimes will be solved."

Police say the robbery suspects may be drug users needing cash, but cannot exclude anything and are looking into all possibilities.

Hite said he does not believe these are necessarily copycat crimes, but are instead crimes of opportunity.

Police believe the masked man who robbed the Island Mini-Mart on Kipapa Drive in Mili­lani at 2:30 a.m. Friday is the same man who robbed the Tesoro gas station an hour later on Kapa­hulu Avenue and held up the Manoa Longs Drugs on June 30.

The Manoa Longs robber brandished a handgun just before the store closed at midnight and reportedly told employees, "I’ll be back," according to reports.

Because of his distinctive mannerisms, small build and short stature, police believe he is the same man who may be responsible for up to two dozen convenience store robberies over the past two months.

He disguises himself with a hooded jacket, sometimes with a baseball cap; covers his face with a motorcycle face guard, bandanna, T-shirt or cloth; runs up to the store; is very calm inside the store; robs it; then runs away.

In all the cases, police have not been able to tie the suspects to a getaway car.

"I do believe there’s a getaway car," but no one has witnessed a suspect getting into one, Hite said.

Suspects are also careful not to leave fingerprints because they wear gloves or bags on their hands.

The fast-food restaurant series of robberies in July also appears to be committed by one man.

He is described as 5-foot-3 to 5-foot-5, with a slim build, and carries a rifle or a metal stick.

Police are still looking for the suspects involved in two bank holdups in May.

A man in his 20s, 5-foot-10, 170 pounds with brown eyes and wearing a hoodie and a black ski mask, is believed to have robbed the Wahiawa branch of Central Pacific Bank, brandishing a handgun.

He is also believed to be one of two men who robbed the American Savings Bank in the Salt Lake Shopping Center on May 13. One was armed with a handgun; the other wielded a shotgun.

Police patrol districts are paying attention to these types of businesses, putting more officers in strategic locations and parking near major thoroughfares where many 24-hour businesses are located.

Police advise the public to be vigilant, be aware of their surroundings while in parking lots and stores, rather than focusing on cellphones, and to call 911 if something is suspicious.

Police offered businesses these tips:

» Do not obstruct windows with large posters, and position service counters so they are visible from the outside at night.

» Balance interior and exterior lighting so employees can see what is happening outside at night.

» Invest in a good, updated security camera system, preferably recording in color, and have someone trained in retrieving video footage. Keep camera lenses clean.

Police did not provide an exact number of robberies in the past few months.

Hite did say the number of Oahu robberies has dropped from the same time last year, but business robberies have increased to 97. He did not provide the number of business robberies last year.

He attributes the rise to "more 24-hour-type businesses that have opened over the year."

Police declined Friday to release surveillance videos in these cases, saying they are useless since suspects’ faces were covered up.

Anyone with information concerning these robberies is urged to call Crime­Stop­pers at 955-8300.