Police Searching For Suspect In Arlington Smoke Shop Robbery
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ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - Arlington police are searching for a suspect who robbed a smoke shop Friday evening, and the owner of the store is wondering if the incident is connected to another robbery that occurred at the store six months ago.
Surveillance camera footage was able to capture the suspect's every move during the recent robbery at Easy's Smoke Shop that involved a female worker.
"He goes behind the counter and points the assault rifle down leisurely," owner Robert Carter said. "He politely tells her he's going to rob her."
Footage showed the woman filling a white trash bag with dollar bills. Carter said the suspect then told the woman to take him to the backroom.
The suspect proceeded to empty a safe, which according to Carter was only recently installed, and the thief then asked the woman to let him out the back door.
"How'd he know about the back door? How'd he know it was barred? How'd he know where the safe was?" Carter questioned. "We wonder if there's an inside connection. We want to get to the bottom of it."
According to Carter, the suspect got away with at least $300 cash. The owner said he's offering a $5,000 reward for the suspect's capture.
Carter said the store was robbed about six months ago, and he is wondering if the two cases are connected.
"We don't want to be known as a target. We don't want our customers to be in danger," Carter said. "We're going to solve this problem. You can bet on it."
As police continue to investigate, Carter said he plans to hire armed security and having cashiers work in pairs.
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