Who Is The Valley's Penny-Pinching Bandit?

NORTHRIDGE, CA — What is worse than robbing a gas station at gunpoint? Pilfering the gas station's take-a-penny- leave-a-penny tray before the robbery.

Now detectives are looking for a man caught on camera holding up a gas station in Canoga Park. They are calling him the Penny-Pinching Bandit, and they released the video in hopes someone will recognize him. On top of the pilfered pennies $800 in cash and cigarettes were also taken.

"We noticed the guy stole one thing, even before he pulled the gun," said Det. Fernando Avila, a robbery investigator at the Los Angeles Police Department's Topanga Station. "You can see him reach into the take-a-penny- leave-a-penny tray when the clerk turns to retrieve the packs of cigarettes the robber feigned to buy. When we catch this guy, I'm going to let him know how unlucky those pennies were."

The robbery took place just before midnight, Saturday, when the suspect walked into the store alone, wearing a black Monster hoodie, Avila said. He appears to have a black semi-automatic handgun in his waistband, according to Avila.

"He displays money and feigns buying cigarettes to distract the clerk, then pulls the gun," Avila said. "...This is top quality video and anyone who knows this man is sure to recognize him."

The suspect is brazen, he added.

"The penny pincher demands all the money in the cash register and he is not satisfied until the clerk gathers several wads of money," Avila said. "The robber does not forget to take the cigarettes he ordered either."

The suspect is described as Hispanic, in his 40s, with a shaved head and a goatee. His left ear is pierced, and he wore an earring, Avila said.

Anyone with information about the robbery was urged to call Avila at (818) 756-3520.

City News Service and Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.