Two Alleged Cash Register Robberies on Oct. 25, Police Say

There were two grocery store cash register theft complaints in Norristown on Oct. 25, the first around 2 p.m. on Markley Street and the second around East Main Street around 6 p.m., according to Norristown police reports.

Markley Street:

Police traveled to to a market at the 1300 block of Markley Street on Oct. 25 around 2 p.m. to respond to a panic alarm, which switched to a robbery complaint, say police. The caller said that the suspect came to the store asking for candy, then left and returned twice, buying candy the third time that he went to the store, according to a police report.

The suspect waited for the cash register to open, and then is reported to have snatched about $100 and ran, say police. He was last seen fleeing west on Fornance Street; police combed the area but did not see the suspect, say police. Part of the cash register was on the floor and police gathered it for evidence, as it may have the suspect’s fingerprints, according to the report

East Main Street:

On Oct. 25, police set out for at a grocery store on the 600 block of East Main Street around 6 p.m. in response to a panic alarm that changed to a robbery report, according to a police report.

Police were told that a thin, African American man who seemed to be about 20 to 25 years old came in wearing black pants and a black jacket and walked to the counter, according to the report. The suspect asked for change and when he was denied change, he reportedly snatched at the register, put it on the counter and pushed a button to open it, say police. 

Someone who worked at the store tried to snatch the register back and the suspect is reported to have took money and ran, say police. The amount of money was possibly up to $700, according to the report. A worker believed that the suspect took the register drawer, as it was not seen at the scene of the incident, per the report. It was reported that the suspect fled the store, ran west through a parking lot, then went north on High Street, say police

Police combed the area, according to the report. A worker had a scratch on the hand but did not agree to treatment, say police. Police took the register into evidence to check for fingerprint, say police.