Police: drug store robberies may be related to other incidents

Police say the robberies of two Twin Cities' drug stores this week may be related to a series of other recent holdups and shootings.

Armed robbers held up a Walgreens on White Bear Avenue in St. Paul on Tuesday, and a Walgreens on East Lake Street in Minneapolis on Wednesday afternoon. St. Paul police spokesman Sgt. Paul Schnell said the crime spree may including recent robberies in the backyards of area homes.

"The level of violence is obviously a concern because at least in the back yard robberies, several people have been shot, and in the and in the Walgreen robberies, the discharge of a firearm was part of the modus operendi of the robberies," Sgt. Schnell said.

Sgt. Schnell said the level of violence is concerning.

"Clearly, they have entered these stores and fired shots and not experienced any resistance, which is the recommended course of action for people experiencing robbery," he said. "Obviously, we believe these people to be dangerous."

Crimestoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the two men suspected in the robberies.

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