Two Sought in Crime Spree

Two men committed five robberies in six hours Friday, leaving few clues behind and frustrating Santa Ana police.

The string of robberies--and the cat-and-mouse game with police--began in southeast Santa Ana shortly before 9 a.m., when two men robbed a doughnut shop on South Standard Avenue, Santa Ana Police Sgt. Raul Luna said.

Less than 20 minutes later, the men robbed another doughnut shop on East 1st Street, less than two miles away.

Shortly after 2 p.m., they entered a liquor store on South Bristol Street between Segerstrom Avenue and Alton Avenue, Luna said. A mile north on Bristol Street, the men robbed a recycling business less than half an hour later.

The men finished their spree by assaulting a man who had just cashed a check at Checks Cashed, a few blocks south of the recycling business, Luna said. The victim was not injured.

“It was pretty brazen,” Luna said.

The men, who fled north after the robberies, were described as between 18 and 23 years old.

The description of their clothes varied from each robbery, and during some robberies the men wore ski masks, but most of the victims still gave similar descriptions of the two men, Luna said.

“We don’t know if it’s the same people changing clothes, [but] it’s more than a coincidence,” he said. “It appears to be the same people.”

Both robbers had shaven heads. One was last seen wearing a gray-and-black shirt and jeans. The other was wearing a black spandex cap.

Police believe the robbers drove a gray Chevrolet or Buick with a brown top and blue and yellow California plates.