Lakeland police have released new video of a serial robber holding up a fifteenth business along the I-4 corridor.
Police initially thought the brazen robber had held up seven businesses in the area, but after working with other agencies, they realized he was linked to eight more robberies that occurred over the past few months along I-4 between the Orlando area and Hillsborough County.
The culprit was caught on surveillance video wearing a medical mask and toting a handgun.
Police said he used a zip tie to restrain several of his victims, including the clerk in his most recent robbery at the Advance America on Ariana Street on March 10.
“We usually most of the time feel safe out here in this plaza broad daylight, even at night,” said Jack Alrefaie, a worker nearby.
“We know that he’s armed, he’s tying people up. Who knows what he will escalate to next,” said Lakeland police spokesperson Sgt. Gary Gross.
Gross said the suspect has been targeting dollar stores and cash advance businesses.
Police believe at least two men have helped the robber to gain access to stores that require customers to be buzzed in for entry.
Gross said the men would make a small purchase, then hold the door open for the robber on their way out of the store.
Police said the robber is clever, but they worry something will eventually go wrong.
“When you go in with a handgun, you’re just a hair away from taking somebody’s life,” Gross says.
The suspect is described as a black male, 20-40 years old, 6 feet tall, weighing approximately 250 pounds.