3 counties, 12 stores: Alleged serial robber ‘getting more aggressive’

Authorities say the man pretends he??€™s buying a candy bar or soda but goes for cash when the register opens.

A man allegedly began a robbery spree at a Dollar General in Henry County in March, police said.

Since then, he has struck 11 more times in three metro Atlanta counties, Channel 2 Action News reported. Targeted locations include dollar stores, an AutoZone and a CVS in Henry, DeKalb and Gwinnett counties.

Police said there are similarities in the incidents. The robber will buy a candy bar or soft drink, but when the register is open, he goes for the money.

And things are getting rough. When the robber struck at a Dollar General in Lilburn last week, he reached over the counter and punched the clerk in the face before grabbing cash and leaving the scene.

“It does appear he’s getting more aggressive,” Sgt. N.J. Herndon of DeKalb County police said.

Police are hoping someone recognizes him from surveillance footage. Because most of the robberies have occurred in the Stone Mountain area, officers think he may live there.

“In some cases,” Herndon said, “he implies either he has a firearm, some cases we’ve seen him actually display a firearm.

“We definitely need to get him off the streets.”

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