BELLEVILLE, Ill. (KMOV.com) -- A masked suspect who fired a gunshot during a robbery at a Metro-East dollar store may be linked to two other armed robberies, according to authorities.
Early Saturday morning, police say an armed man robbed a Midwest Petroleum gas station in the 1200 block of Royal Heights Road.
The suspect, described as a thin black male between the ages of 20 and 30 years old, reportedly displayed a small, silver-colored pistol during the robbery.
On Friday night, an armed suspect robbed a Dollar General store in Belleville, firing one shot inside the building before escaping with an undisclosed amount of cash.
The suspect was described as a masked man wearing a tan or light-colored jacket.
Earlier on Friday, two customers and a store clerk were robbed at gunpoint inside the "Cheap Cigarettes" store in East Belleville around 2:30 p.m. The store clerk, a mother of three, said the gunman pointed a gun at the victims' heads during the robbery.
Employees told News 4 the store has been robbed twice in the past month. The suspect was described as wearing a Carhartt jacket and brandishing a small, silver-colored gun.
Authorities say no one was injured in the three robberies. Police continue to investigate the incidents, but have released no further information.
