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The Goodwill Retail Store & Donation Center on South Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg was robbed twice in two weeks, according to police.
No one was injured and there were no shoppers in the store during either incident, according to a statement from Montgomery County Police.
"Everything is kind of being investigated by the police right now," said Don Hart, manager of the store and center. "Everything is in their hands."
Police received a call from the store at 8:41 a.m. Dec. 10, said Montgomery County Police spokeswoman Lucille Baur.
A young black man entered the store as it was opening for business, showed a handgun, took a clerk to the back of the store, and stole an undisclosed amount of cash, said Gaithersburg Community Outreach Officer Dan Lane, who said police believe the suspect may be the same man who entered the store near 9 p.m. Nov. 27, flashed a handgun, stole $1,000 from a safe and fled.
The Dec. 10 suspect is described as in his 20s, 5 feet, 3 inches to 5 feet, 5 inches tall, wearing blue jeans and a black jacket with white stripes down the sleeves, said Gaithersburg Police Chief John King. A county police statement describes the man in the Nov. 27 similarly and says the man had a goatee.
County police detectives will investigate the robbery in connection with three other commercial robberies that occurred in Rockville and Gaithersburg earlier this month, as well as an attempted robbery at the Liberty Gas Station at 623 S. Frederick Ave. on Dec. 5, Lane said.
In that instance, a black man wearing a black ski mask, black puffy winter coat and light-colored blue jeans flashed a silver handgun and demanded money, according to Gaithersburg Police crime reports. The victim refused to comply and when she said she would call police, the man fled and ran toward North Westland Drive, Lane said.
On Dec. 1, a man with a gun held up a female clerk at the T-Mobile cell phone store at 5401 Randolph Road in Rockville — and on Dec. 2, two men, one brandishing a handgun, robbed Bancomercio De El Salvador at 504 E. Diamond Ave. in Gaithersburg.
On Dec. 3, a gunman demanded money from an employee inside the 7-Eleven at the Walnut Hill Shopping Center in Gaithersburg, according to police.
Police detectives have received some strong leads and are following up, said Cpl. Dan Friz, a county police spokeswoman on Monday.
"They are in the process of tying them all together and showing that the same suspect was involved with all of the robberies," Friz said.
Anyone with information on these robberies is asked to call the Major Crimes-Robbery Section at 240-773-5100. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may also call toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Crime Solvers offers a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.