Possible Suspect in Bloomfield Robbery Attempts Nabbed in Royal Oak

Detectives with the Bloomfield Township Police Department are still investigating, but said they believe a man arrested after a robbery in Birmingham on Saturday may have started his mini-crime spree with two attempts in Bloomfield Township.

The 27-year-old Birmingham man was arrested at about 8 p.m. in Royal Oak on  drug charges, and could be responsible for stealing $40 from a Hungry Howie's in Birmingham earlier that evening, Cmdr. Terry Kiernan said. According to reports, the man said he had a weapon while rushing into the store and demanding employees open the register at about 7 p.m. Employees said the man indicated he had a weapon in his pocket, though no weapon was seen.

The suspect grabbed the cash when the manager opened the register and then fled. A K-9 unit used to track the suspect eventually lost the man's scent, leading officers to believe the man fled in a vehicle, Kiernan said.

Robbery attempts in Bloomfield earlier

Shortly before the robbery in Birmingham, Bloomfield Township police reported two attempted armed robberies at a Hungry Howie's and Mobil gas station in Bloomfield Hills.

Bloomfield Township Police Lt. Phil Langmeyer said the man entered the 's at 3290 South Boulevard and tried to rob employees with what was described as a pocket knife at about 6:45 p.m. Saturday. The employees refused and he fled. Officers were on the way to the scene when they received another call about a man trying to rob the Mobil gas station nearby at South Boulevard and South Opdyke Road.

The man from those incidents matched the description of the man who robbed the Hungry Howie's in Birmingham, police say.

Later that night, around 7:50 p.m., Royal Oak police stopped a vehicle near 13 Mile and Coolidge. The driver matched the description of the robberies suspect, police said. Kiernan said the Hungry Howie's manager was brought to the scene and he identified the man as the one who had robbed the restaurant earlier that night. The man was discovered with a knife, Kiernan said.

The man was taken into custody by Royal Oak police on drug possession charges and was held in Royal Oak pending issuance of warrants for the Birmingham and Bloomfield Township incidents. Kiernan said he expects the warrants to be issued by the end of the day Monday or Tuesday morning.