Rash of Convenience Store Robberies Band Owners Together

Being held at gun point is always a possibility for convenience store employees, but when it happened five different convenience stores in one week, owners started looking for a team of robbers.

"I was shocked," store owner Kulvinder Singh said. "It never happened with us. I've been here 10 years and it has never happened before."

Kulvinder showed KNDO News dramatic security camera video of the robbery. Each store told a similar story. A car pulls up, a man with a dark bandana enters, flashes clerks this large revolver and takes off with the cash. Kulvinder says his clerk did exactly what they are trained to do.

"Don't argue with nobody," Singh said. "I don't want to get nobody hurt just for a few hundred dollars."

The robberies ended at the Airline Market in Union Gap where three suspects were surprised to find an unmarked police car waiting for them. Hearing about the recent incidents Airline Market had locked their door at dark opening for only one customer at a time.

"It was pretty much a coincidence they happened to be parked across the street at the car wash," Airline Market clerk Randy Renner said. "They happened to be there when the robbers came up."

The suspects ran when police approached but one did not get away. A day later, police apprehended another suspect for First Degree Robbery and Unlawful Possession of a firearm. Kulvinder is just happy no one was hurt.

"They are going to pull the trigger if they want," Singh said. "They have big guns. So we need to do something before it gets worse."

With two people now in custody, store owners hope they will not have to see a scene like this again for some time.