Philadelphia Police have connected a series of robberies to the same group of men, who they call "brazen and dangerous."
Investigators have linked six robberies so far, dating back to April 29, when two masked men entered the Dollar General store at 2815 Ridge Avenue in Strawberry Mansion, armed with handguns.
Police say one of the men shot a security guard in the hand, while the second man forced the store manager to empty the safe.
Two weeks later, police say two men with bandannas covering their face, walked into a West Philadelphia Little Caesar's Pizza shop at 5901 Lancaster Avenue armed with handguns and demanded money.
Investigators say on the surveillance video for both these robberies, they noticed that the men were dressed the same and spotted some similar behavior patterns.
"As soon as we realized the pattern, we started to go back and look at other robberies that had been occurring in the city, said Captain Ben Naish, Philadelphia Police.
They linked these two men to at least four other armed robberies-- a 7-Eleven at 9901 Frankford Avenue in Morrell Park on May 18, a Dollar General store on 801 North 48th Street in Mill Creek on May 22, another 7-Eleven at 7901 Frankford Avenue on May 24 and a Forman Mills store at 4800 Market Street in West Philadelphia on May 24.
Police say the Forman Mills robbery was different because four men were involved, but surveillance showed similarities connecting two of the men to the previous robberies.
"This is a dangerous crew of individuals that are operating throughout the city," said Captain Naish, who urged anyone who can identify the men in the surveillance pictures to give them a call.
"We have no doubt they are serious threat to the public and to law enforcement."
