Armed Man Is Sought in 2 Dozen Store Robberies

A man with a handgun has robbed about two dozen San Fernando Valley businesses since February, twice hitting three merchants in the same day, police said.

No one has been injured by the robber, who told one victim he has “a terrible drug problem.”

Police said he picks small merchants who do business in cash, enters the store around closing time, orders employees to lie on the floor and has never been spotted as he leaves.

“He’s obviously more sophisticated and more clever than most because of the type of businesses he’s picking and he makes his getaway without anyone seeing him,” said Detective Rick Jamieson of the Los Angeles Police Department’s North Hollywood Division, where nine of the robberies occurred.

Police described the suspect as a white male, 30 to 35 years old, 5-foot-8 or 5-foot-9, weighing 175 pounds, with short, sandy blond hair. He wears baseball caps of different colors, blue jeans, a blue denim jacket and occasionally, sunglasses.

“The guy is so nondescript that he can be one of several thousand in the Valley,” Jamieson said. “You couldn’t believe how many calls we got after we passed out the composites. We stopped and detained suspects. But it’s never him.”

Most of the robberies were on Ventura Boulevard and half of the victims have been dry cleaners, which have no security cameras. He has also held up a pet shop, a flower shop, a candy store, a shoe store, a bicycle shop, a restaurant and several small gift shops.

“He likes the Ventura Boulevard corridor because it’s easy picking. There are so many small businesses. He can jump on the freeway if he needs an exit or go up into the hills,” said Detective Robert Johansen of the West Valley Division, where nine robberies have taken place.

Even though victims have supplied varying descriptions of the suspect, police believe it is the same man.

“We are sure it’s the same person. It’s just that people describe people differently,” Jamieson said. “Half of the victims said he looks like one composite, half said he looks like the other.”

The most recent crime was Thursday, when the man robbed a Woodland Hills dry cleaners of $500. The robber ordered the female clerk to strip, apparently to assure that she would not try to follow him, police said.

In another case, clerk Luz Castaneda, who was working alone at a dry cleaning shop, said the man looked like a typical customer. At first, she thought he was joking when he announced the holdup. He promised not to hurt her if she cooperated, Castaneda said.

“I didn’t see a car. I didn’t hear anything. Then he was gone,” Castaneda said.

“He didn’t make me feel scared at all,” she said.

In an interview at the store, Castaneda lifted her T-shirt, revealing a small handgun tucked in her blue jeans.

“This is the only way I can protect myself in case anyone wants to hurt me,” she said.