Gunman hits upper State Street businesses

By COLBY FRAZIER

Two businesses on upper State Street were robbed yesterday morning by a man who police say brandished a semi-automatic handgun and demanded cash.

Sgt. Lorenzo Duarte, a spokesman for the Santa Barbara Police Department, said authorities were dispatched to Cigar Empire at 3621 State St. just after 11 a.m.

A store employee told police that the suspect, a Hispanic male in his 20s, picked out two glass pipes. As the suspect was checking out, Duarte said he flashed the handgun and demanded money.

Duarte said the suspect made away with $400 in cash and the two glass pipes, valued at $200.

Store employees told police the suspect and a friend took a look around the store about 15 minutes prior to the robbery, but did not purchase anything.

During the investigation, Duarte said an employee at Spudnuts, a bagel and smoothie shop located on the same block as Cigar Empire, told police she had been robbed earlier that morning. He said the employee decided not to report the robbery because the suspect got away with only $10 and a dozen donuts.

Duarte said this robbery apparently occurred at 5:30 a.m. and the suspect acted similarly. He said the suspect asked for a dozen donuts, then as he prepared to pay, flashed the gun and demanded money.

Due to the early hour of the incident, Duarte said only $10 was in the store’s till.

He said the suspect in both instances was described as a 150-pound Hispanic male about 5 feet 7 inches tall.

The duo of robberies arrived on the heels of a string of similar incidents last Friday, during which the Rite Aid at 825 State St. and Petco at 3985 State St. were robbed at knifepoint.

In the Friday robberies, police say thieves made away with $4,700, the majority of which was taken from a safe at Petco.

Duarte said investigators do not believe the yesterday’s incidents are connected to the knifepoint robberies.

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