Bandana bandit strikes Knik video

KNIK -- Knik Kountry Video was robbed at gunpoint Friday for the second time in a month, but the bandana-clad suspect wasn't able to make off with much cash.

The robbery comes in a spree of five similar cases that started with Knik Kountry in July. Next, Mat-Su Cinema was robbed during the opening of "Men in Black II," followed by the robbery of Mocha Moose Espresso stand, a Williams Express gas station, and then Knik Kountry again.

In each case, the suspect is described as between 18 and 25 years of age and wears a bandana to cover his face, a dark hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, and brandishes a small handgun. The owner of Knik Kountry said clerks described the first robber as being of a heavier build, and they do not believe the second one was the same as the first.

"But it seems they are probably from the same group," she said.

At about 4:15 p.m. Friday Aug. 8, the robber walked into the video store while three customers were picking out movies and two clerks were present.

"He didn't know I was here until at the last minute," said a clerk who asked that her name not be used. "I was back in the office and I heard it going on. The phone was out there, so I tried to use my cell phone but it wouldn't work because this area is in a dead zone."

The robber took money from two cash registers while holding a gun on the other clerk, a young woman. The clerk was frightened from the incident. "She quit after that, and I know I don't want to be here alone working," the clerk said. Two clerks will be working together from now on, she said.

The clerks and customers were able to give a description to Alaska State Troopers. The suspect is about 5-feet 8-inches tall and thin, with blue eyes.

On Aug. 3, at 12:42 a.m., clerks at the Williams Express gas station at Mile 49 Parks Hwy. reported they had been robbed by a man who wore a gray hooded sweatshirt and weighed about 170 pounds.

The suspect was wearing a white bandana-type mask over his face, the clerks reported. He pointed a small gun at the clerk and demanded money from the register, according to trooper reports. After taking an unspecified amount of cash, he fled the store on foot and ran into the woods behind the store.

Two days earlier, a 16-year-old working at Mocha Moose Espresso was surprised by a man who entered the back of the stand with a bandana over his face and pointed a gun in her face. She was on the telephone at the time, speaking with her father, and the masked man demanded that she drop the phone. He then jumped up and down, shouting for the girl to give him the cash from her till, according to information the girl provided to Wasilla police.

After taking the money from her, the suspect ran out the door on foot, heading in the direction of the Meta Rose Square.

The girl described the man as approximately 18 years old, 155-170 pounds, 5-feet, 8-inches tall and he was wearing an oversized hooded sweatshirt.

Matt Leonard, first assistant manager at Williams Express, said he had heard of the two previous robberies, one at Mat-Su Cinema in July, and the Mocha Moose robbery. The one at his own store sounds similar, as if committed by the same person, but he isn't sure. One thing is certain: The robber didn't likely get much money, Leonard said. They don't keep a large amount of cash in the till.

Alaska State Trooper Capt. Dennis Casanovas said the Williams Express robber seemed to be a different person, described as more lanky than the previous robbery suspects.

The Wasilla police, who investigated the Mat-Su Cinema robbery and the Mocha Moose one, weren't certain if those two are linked. Lt. Craig Robinson said armed robberies are fairly unusual.

"If you have several in a short time period, you would think they are linked," Robinson said. The Wasilla police and troopers will be pooling information on suspects already identified. Troopers also have a video tape recording of the robbery from the Williams Express.

The robber at Mat-Su Cinema was described as wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt and brandished a small handgun. After demanding the cash he fled on a four-wheeler, pursued by witnesses and police. He dumped the four-wheeler, dropped the gun and fled into the woods on foot, according to police reports. Wasilla police later identified the four-wheeler and the gun as stolen property.

Anyone with information about any of the robberies is encouraged to call Wasilla police at 373-9074 or the troopers at 746-2131. Callers who do not wish to be identified can also call Mat-Su Crime Stoppers at 745-3333. The call could earn up to $1,000 if it leads to an arrest and criminal indictment.