Same suspects likely in 2 armed robberies in Lee County, deputies say

Lee County deputies are looking for two men they say robbed two different stores in two nights in San Carlos Park.

Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers said Sunday morning that a man walked into the Family Dollar at 8290 Aloha Road, just after 8:15 p.m. Saturday, and pointed a gun at the employee, ordering her to open the dropbox. When she replied that she didn’t have a key, the suspect locked the front door, demanding her at gunpoint to give him all the cash from the register. After the money was placed into a shopping bag, the man left the store and fled in a vehicle with a second suspect.

The suspect in Saturday night’s robbery was wearing the same grey and white camouflage hoodie as one of the suspects in Friday night’s robbery.

“Between the clothing, the MO, the manner in which they did these robberies, we absolutely believe that both suspects are involved with both robberies,” said Trish Routte, Crime Stoppers coordinator.

Friday’s robbery happened just after 10:30 p.m., when two men walked into the Sky Food Mart at 17597 Rockefeller Circle in San Carlos Park. Both had semi-automatic handguns and demanded money from the register. They got about $5,000, the owner told WINK News.

The employee who was working at the time can’t get it out of his mind. Siraj Udowlla was the only one working at Sky Food Market when the two suspects came in.

“He tells me open the register, open the register, and my hands are like that, hands up,” he said.

“He had the gun pushed to my belly like that, and I can’t say nothing, you know.”

One of the suspects reached over the counter into the register and took the cash. At that point, “my body’s shaking. I cannot say nothing,” Udowlla said.

The suspects then fled the store on foot, headed southbound on Rockefeller towards Consitution Circle.

Both suspects should be considered armed and dangerous, investigators say.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of the suspects, call Crime Stoppers at  800-780-8477 or online following this link. All callers are eligible for a $3,000 cash reward.