News

Actions

Police in Ann Arbor and Brownstown Township investigate apparent crime spree by man dressed as clown

Posted at 5:59 PM, Oct 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-05 20:12:31-04

Police in Ann Arbor and Brownstown believe the same man is behind three armed robberies where the suspect was wearing a clown mask.

Investigators believe the timeline and the description of the suspect are too similar to discount.

The crime spree started around 9:30 on Tuesday night at the Walgreens off West & Telegraph in Brownstown. 

Then about an hour later the suspect robbed the BP gas station near Washtenaw and US-23.

About a half an hour later, the masked suspect robbed the Domino’s Pizza near Plymouth Rd. and US-23.

"The timeline works out, it's my understanding the initial robbery in Brownstown was 9:30, our first was 10:30 our second was at 11:00,” said Det. Lt. Matt Lige with Ann Arbor Police.

"I can't ignore the fact they all seem to be related,” said Lige.

Lige said the mask just adds to the menace of the suspect, who violently threatened the clerks with his gun in all three robberies.

"I think the clown mask, the very nature of the clown mask, is a tool used to easily facilitate a robbery,” said Lige.

Both Brownstown and Ann Arbor Police are noticing a trend of clown masks and they want to catch this man quickly, so there’s no chance of this happening again.

"Certainly we run the risk, there's going to be increased violence, loss of life resulting in robberies or similar crimes occurring with someone wearing a clown mask,” said Lige.

If you have information about any of these robberies you can call Ann Arbor’s Tip Line (734) 794-6939, you can get a cash reward. Or the Brownstown Police at (734) 675-1300.