Series Of Strong Arm Robberies Reported In South San Francisco

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Three separate woman were robbed in one evening in South San Francisco this week, the police department reports. The incidents all occurred on Tuesday as the women were alone, and two of the cases appear to be connected, according to police.

According to the South San Francisco Police Department, the first incident happened in the parking lot of a store around 7:30 p.m. The 31-year-old victim was returning to her vehicle in the 400 block of South Airport Boulevard when a suspect approached from behind and grabbed her wallet that was hanging on a wrist strap, police said.

The suspect then ran out of the parking lot and remains at large. He was described as a black man who is about 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs about 250 pounds and wore khaki pants and a black hooded sweatshirt, according to police. The woman was uninjured in the robbery.

The next incident happened around 11:03 p.m. in the 100 block of Southwood Center, according to police. In that case, two men approached a woman who was walking on the sidewalk "and forcibly removed" her purse.

Just about 30 minutes later, a very similar case was reported over on the 500 block of Commercial Avenue, police said.

"In one of the instances, the woman was knocked to the ground and assaulted, resulting in minor injuries," police said of the two late-night robberies. "In both cases, the suspects were seen fleeing the area in a black four door sedan, possibly a Toyota Camry."

Police said that though the suspect descriptions were slightly varied in the 11:03 p.m. and 11:35 p.m. incidents, "it is believed the same suspects were responsible for both robberies."

For the robbery on Southwood Center, the first suspect was described as a black man about 5 feet 9 inches tall between 20 and 25 years of age. He wore a black shirt with a possible silver trim. The second suspect was described as a black man about 20 to 25 years old, standing about 5 feet 9 inches tall.

As for the robbery on Commercial Avenue, police said the first suspect was described between the ages of 14 and 18, standing 5 feet 9 inches tall with a slender build. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and black track pants with a stripe on the legs. The second suspect was also described as about 14 to 18 years old, standing 5 feet 5 inches tall with a slender build. He was wearing a white shirt and black pants, police said.

Anyone with information about these cases is asked to call South San Francisco police at (650) 877-8900 or an anonymous tip line at (650) 952-2244. Anonymous tips can also be sent by email to tips@ssf.net.

– Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone / Bay City News Service contributed to this report