An armed robbery at a Midtown check-cashing business on Wednesday afternoon appears to be the work of two men who have been dubbed the "clown robbers," police said.
While the latest robbery was committed by only one man, Tucson Police suspect he was involved in two other incidents within the last several weeks in which two men disguised themselves as clowns.
The incident occurred around 11:55 at the Ace Cash Advance, 3955 E. Speedway, near North Alvernon Way, said Sgt. Decio Hopffer, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.
The robber walked into the store armed with a gun and demanded money, he said. The clerk, a pregnant woman, complied and the robber got away with an undisclosed amount of money.
The clerk was not injured but the Tucson Fire Department was called to check out the woman as a precaution, he said. Hopffer did not know if any other employees or customers were in the store at the time.
People are also reading…
On Aug. 16, the clown robbers reportedly hit Payday Loans at Loan Mart, in the 5000 block of North La Cañada Drive near West River Road, said Deputy Dawn Barkman, a Pima County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman.
The men walked into the store around 2:30 p.m. and demanded money from the cash drawer and the safe, she said.
At least one brandished a gun, Barkman said. The employee complied with their demands and was then locked in a room before the robbers left. He was not injured.
The same robbers have been connected to an Aug. 10 incident at Check 'N Go, 4485 N. First Ave., near East Wetmore Road, where they held another female clerk at gunpoint before getting away with an undisclosed amount of money, Hopffer said.
Police would not say which of the two clown robbers is suspected in this incident, but officials have given the following description of the men:
Both are about 6 feet tall and have a thin build. During the Aug. 16 incident, they were wearing white face paint, baggy jeans, dark shoes and matching denim jackets. One wore a red wig and the other wore a black beanie. Tucson Police were given a similar description, Hopffer said.
Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or 88-CRIME, the anonymous tip line of the Pima County Attorney's Office.
