Two Coquitlam businesses were robbed over the weekend, and the suspect may be linked to earlier Austin Heights robberies.
Just after 8 p.m. on Saturday night a man entered a convenience store in the 1000-block of Austin Avenue. Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Jamie Chung said the man "may have brandished a handgun" before leaving with an undisclosed amount of cash.
The suspect is described as a man approximately six feet tall with a slender build, wearing a black balaclava, gloves, black jacket and blue jeans.
On Sunday night, just after 10 p.m., a man walked into a coffee shop in the 100-block of Schoolhouse Street. He walked to the back of the shop to the till, showed a handgun, grabbed the money tray from the till and left.
The suspect in that incident was described as a man about 5'11" tall, weighing about 220 pounds and wearing a white hoodie, blue jeans, black gloves and a black balaclava.
Nobody was hurt in either incident.
Cpl. Chung said the suspect descriptions were quite similar, with the exception of the man's build, but "that could be depending on a person's perception with regard to weight."
He also said the suspect's methods were similar, in that he entered a business when it was quiet and approached a staff member demanding to know where the cash was.
The suspect in the latest two incidents also appears to resemble descriptions from a recent string of robberies in the Austin Heights area.
Several businesses were hit in the last few weeks of the summer, with the suspect described as a Caucasian man between 20 and 24 years old who is 6' to 6'2" tall and weighing about 190 to 215 pounds.
He was said to have dark brown hair, wore a black hoodie with a red logo, a black balaclava and gloves.
Chung said police are investigating and they're hoping if the suspect strikes again that somebody is able to call 911 as soon as possible.
"Even if they don't say anything, if they just let the phone pick up the sound in the restaurants, that would help us a great deal," Chung said.
Anyone with information about the weekend's robberies is asked to contact Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550 and quote file number 2012-30310.
