San Diego

The Police Department issued a warning to small commercial businesses Tuesday to be on the lookout for a man who robs stores and then sexually assaults women employees.

A dozen of the robberies and attacks have occurred since last March in downtown, Hillcrest and North Park in the afternoon and evening, police said.

Women were sexually assaulted in four of the robberies, Sgt. Kathleen Healey said. In those cases, the businesses had only female workers.

Police described the robber as a black man between the ages of 25 and 35, about 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing 180 to 200 pounds. He usually wears dark clothing, covers his face, and is typically armed with a semiautomatic pistol and a hunting knife, police said.

Anyone with information about the man should contact police at 531-2000.