Back-to-back robberies show similarities

Police are investigating whether there is a connection between two Wednesday robberies in which a man used a weapon to rob a Salt Lake gas station and a Waipahu store just an hour apart.

The first robbery happened about 12:40 a.m. at the Tesoro Gas Station on Lawehana Street in Salt Lake. Police say a man wielding a weapon demanded money from a female clerk. The second case occurred less than an hour later at the Aloha Island Mart on Farrington Highway in Waipahu, where the robber showed a weapon and demanded money from male and female clerks.

In both cases, security videos show the suspect in a white hooded jacket with his face covered by a yellow cloth. He wore white pants in one theft and jeans in the other robbery.

Soldier arrested in New Year’s Eve theft

A 32-year-old Schofield Barracks soldier was arrested Tuesday for allegedly taking a purse from a woman in Pearl City just before midnight on New Year’s Eve.

The male suspect allegedly confronted the 29-year-old woman as she sat in her car, police said. The victim was injured while fighting back and the suspect fled with her purse.