Police: Clearwater robberies target Hispanic men

CLEARWATER -- Clearwater police say they've noticed a pattern in recent armed robberies: Hispanic males are the targets.

Since January, more than 50 robberies appear to share similar locations, suspect and vehicle descriptions, methods of operation, and victim descriptions, police said. Despite a few recent arrests related to those incidents, the pattern has continued.

Five of six armed robberies since October happened around Drew Street and U.S. Highway 19. In all the cases, at least one of the victims was a Hispanic male and the suspects were black males between 17 and 25 years old. In 16 robberies, the suspects wore masks. The majority of crimes occurred between 10 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. on every day of the week.

Most of the time, suspects were armed with handguns, police said. They knocked the victims to the ground, punched or kicked them or held guns to their heads before taking victims' wallets and money. In two of the cases, a victim was shot.

Besides extra patrols, Clearwater police are distributing fliers in English and Spanish to residents of the targeted area. They also have offered several safety tips: walk or ride with others, be aware of surroundings, don't carry large amounts of cash and avoid dark areas.

Anyone with information about the robberies should call the Clearwater Police Department tip line at (727) 562-4422.

Kim Wilmath, Times Staff Writer

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