PASADENA >> Two armed robberies at a sandwich shop and a tanning salon in Pasadena late Friday may have been the work of the same gunman, police said.
The crimes were reported about 8:20 at a Subway sandwich shop at Orange Grove Boulevard and Lake Avenue, then about 15 minutes later at Sun Works Tanning, just over two miles away at Colorado Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue, Pasadena police officials said.
In the Subway robbery, the robber entered the eatery, brandished a black, semi-automatic handgun and demanded money from the cash register, Lt. Jesse Carrillo said.
A 23-year-old woman working behind the counter complied and handed over an undisclosed amount of cash, he said. A second employee working at the restaurant was on break and did not witness the crime.
The robber was last seen fleeing through the parking lot on foot, Carrillo said.
A second robbery involving a “very similar” suspect was reported about 8:35 p.m. at the tanning salon, Lt. John Mercado said.
The robber walked into the salon, pointed a black, semi-automatic handgun at the lone female employee and demanded money from the register, Mercado said. The woman complied, handing over an undetermined amount, and the suspect fled on foot.
In both cases, the robber was described as a Black or Latino man in his 20s or 30s, 5-10 to 6 feet tall, about 180 pounds, unshaven, wearing a dark sweat shirt and dark pants.
Detectives were looking into the possibility the same man is responsible for both heists, Mercado said.
With no getaway car scene in connection with the two crimes, police were also looking into whether the suspect may have used public transportation — such as the Metro Gold Line — to travel between the two businesses.