Police seek discount-store robber

From the "Haven't you heard things in this store are cheap?" file comes the story of a man who police say has robbed up to 30 dollar and 99-cent stores in Harris and Fort Bend counties since March. He reportedly enters the store pretending to be a customer, picks up an item and brings it to the cash register, and buys it. When the sale is finished, he shows the clerk a pistol tucked in his waistband and demands money. When the robbery's over, he flees the scene on foot, police say.

Authorities know his technique, the places he likes to rob — beauty supply stores and gas stations in addition to the discount stores — and even that he seems to like to rob stores between 2 and 5 p.m. Mondays. And there may be a reason for that timing, an investigator told KPRC:

"He'll hit a business at times when it's not the busiest," Detective Jeff Miller said. "He'll usually hit businesses that don't have a lot of employees."

The suspect is described as a black man between age 20 and 30, between 5'6" and 5'10" and with a Louisiana accent. He's been seen in a red T-shirt with printing on the front (some witnesses said the shirt says "Rocawear") and in black Oakland Raiders football jerseys with the numbers 80 and 18. He also usually wears a black or white hat during the robberies, police said — a still from surveillance video released today shows him in a red shirt, white hat and what may be a jacket.

Anyone with information should call HPD robbery detectives at 281.584.4754 or Crime Stoppers at 713.222.TIPS.