10 serial robberies linked to ‘black, curly wig,’ police say

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SALT LAKE CITY — Four police departments are working together to investigate a string of 10 serial aggravated robberies.

The robberies were all committed by a man wearing a long, curly wig that covers his face, according to a statement released jointly by the Murray, Salt Lake City, West Jordan and Unified police departments Thursday. Investigators said it is possible the wig was worn by different men during the separate robberies.

Eight of the 10 robberies, which all occurred between July 15 and Sunday, were at restaurants, according to police. Four fast-food restaurants were robbed within 30 minutes on July 24.

During each of the 10 robberies, a man wearing a wig entered the business and approached an employee before lifting his shirt and displaying a black handgun tucked into his waistband, police said. He then demanded money and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The man was seen leaving the scene of the robberies in various vehicles, all of which police believe were stolen.

Police said the following robberies are connected:

July 15: Mezquite Mexican Grill, 4370 S. State in Murray at 10:17 p.m.
July 24: Sconecutter, 6149 S. 4800 West in West Jordan at 9:45 p.m.
July 24: Taco Bell, 5534 W. 6200 South in Kearns at 9:51 p.m.
July 24: Little Caesar's, 6973 S. 4800 West in West Jordan at 10 p.m.
July 24: Arctic Circle, 3365 W. 7800 South in West Jordan at 10:15 p.m.
July 25: Shell Gas Station, 874 E. 1300 South in Salt Lake City at 10:11 p.m.
July 26: Marie Callendar’s, 1109 E. 3900 South in Millcreek at 9:51 p.m.
July 26: La Frontera, 1250 E. 3300 South in Millcreek at 9:56 p.m.
Aug. 3: Carl’s Jr., 151 E. 5300 South in Murray at 10:17 p.m.
Aug. 3: Shell Gas Station, 502 E. 2100 South in Salt Lake City at 10:58 p.m.

No one has been injured during the robberies so far, according to investigators.

“They are becoming increasingly more common and frequent and we’re very worried about them becoming more violent,” West Jordan police Sgt. Dan Roberts said after the robberies on July 24. “Certainly the more this happens the greater the potential there is for someone to be injured.”

Those involved with the robberies have been described as being between 5-feet-2-inches and 5-feet-11-inches tall with tan colored skin, according to investigators. They said the men were described as possibly being of Hispanic descent.

The robber was described as being a skinny man with pockmarks on his face after one of the robberies, according to police. According to another description, the man had two front buck teeth.

“Detectives from all the police departments are working together to identify and locate the suspect(s) responsible for these violent crimes,” the statement reads. “They are also looking to see if there are additional robberies that the suspect(s) may be connected to.”

Anyone with information about the robber or aggravated robberies can call 385-468-9814. A reward is being offered by the departments for information that leads to an arrest.