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SALT LAKE CITY — Two people considered armed and dangerous are on the run after robbing a Family Dollar store in Salt Lake City overnight.
Two men entered the store near 300 West and 500 North shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday, one man armed with a black automatic handgun, according to Lt. Dave Cracroft of the Salt Lake City Police Department.
"The one armed with a handgun ordered everybody in the store on to the floor. The other suspect jumped the counter and took money out of the till," Cracroft said.
Witnesses at the store gave police a vague description of the robbers, describing them as two black males wearing dark ski masks — black or blue. Cracroft said a police dog tracked them for about a block but then lost them.
This is the fifth Family Dollar robbery in the Salt Lake valley in a month.
On March 27, the Family Dollar located at 3530 W. 3100 South in West Valley City was robbed by two males, one armed with a handgun. Both robbers were wearing masks and gloves; one was described as a black male with an average build. The other was described as a white male with a tall to average build.
Two days later, on March 30, the Family Dollar located at 1649 W. 4200 South in Taylorsville was robbed by two armed men at 9:41 p.m. The robbers ordered two customers to the ground and demanded money from the clerks.
"One of the clerks was able to get to the bathroom and barricade herself for safety," said Lt. Justin Hoyal of the Unified Police Department.
Please know that the safety and security of our customers and Team Members is our first priority.
We strive to create a safe work and shopping environment by tailoring our store operations and security for each store. We are continually enhancing our on-premise security and surveillance systems, and our Team Member training, to reduce the incidence of robberies.
Family Dollar has proudly operated stores in the Salt Lake City region for several years, in many cases in areas where other retailers have left. Unfortunately, when violence in the communities and neighborhoods we serve occurs, it affects everyone — including our stores.
We are working closely with the local authorities in regards to these incidents and on a broader strategy to effectively reduce crime in the communities we serve.
-Bryn R. Winburn, Family Dollar
Once again the physical description of the robbers was vague, however witness did give detailed clothing descriptions:
No. 1: Wearing a black "hoodie" style sweatshirt with a red stripe on the side and the number 3 on the shoulder, grey sweatpants, white tennis shoes, ski type mask, purple/blue latex gloves, and had what appeared to be a gun under a cloth in his hand.
No. 2: Black "hoodie" style sweatshirt with grey interior, white or tan sweatpants, black gloves, brown baseball cap, pink or red bandanna, black sunglasses, and black shoes. This man also had a hand gun.
The robbery at the Taylorsville Family Dollar is the second one at that location. The one prior occurred on March 8, however there was only one armed suspect that night. The clerk from the March 30 robbery recognized the robber from that prior crime, according to Hoyal.
"We're seeing increased violence with each robbery, which is alarming," said Hoyal. "We believe these are connected to other robberies in the valley, and we're working with other agencies around the valley to get these suspects caught."
Contrubing: Jed Boal
