Another robbery attempt

Police say Monday, Wednesday holdups could be related

Police think the same gunman who on Monday held up convenience stores in Columbia Heights and Evergreen tried his luck late Wednesday night in Kalispell, but left empty handed.

A young man in his late teens or early 20s entered the Kum' n' Go convenience store, 2910 U.S. 93 S., in Kalispell at about 11:08 p.m., police said.

He pointed a semi-automatic pistol at the clerk and demanded money from the register, police said. The clerk refused to hand it over and was on the phone with police as the suspect bolted through the door, said police.

The suspect in Wednesday's attempted armed robbery at the Kum' n' Go was wearing a baggy hooded sweatshirt and had a red bandana around the lower part of his face. He is reported to be a white male between 5 feet 4 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall.

A man of the same description is wanted by police for the attempted armed robbery of Junction Gas and Groceries on U.S. 2 in Columbia Heights and the armed robbery of Woodland Qwik Stop on Woodland Park Drive in Evergreen, from which he escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash. The two Monday robberies, which occurred 20 miles and 40 minutes apart, are being investigated by the Flathead County Sheriff's Office.

Police are comparing physical evidence collected from the Kum' n' Go with evidence from the other two crime scenes, they said.

"They occurred in close proximity, and we don't have a lot of armed robberies every week," said Kalispell police detective Brian Fulford.

Anyone with information should call the Kalispell Police Department at (406) 758-7780 or Crime Stoppers at (406) 752-8477.

Police are encouraging business owners to make sure their alarm and video surveillance systems are working and, should anyone find themselves the victim of an armed robbery, to remain calm and get an accurate description.