Three robberies in Ft. Wayne Saturday

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - There were three robberies at Fort Wayne businesses Saturday and police think two may be related.

The first robbery Saturday happened around 10:30 a.m. at Golden Nail Supply on South Calhoun.

The owner says he was alone at the time. "I was working in the back, and I heard somebody screaming 'Shoot him! Shoot him!' So I thought somebody was playing a joke."

The joke turned out to be a robbery in progress. Two men with knives were demanding cash. The owner says he thinks he also saw a gun. The suspects were both wearing dark clothes and one had a ski mask.

Then police said about a half hour later two men with knives went into the Dairy Queen on Southview. They were described the same way the men at Golden Nail Supply were. They also got away with cash from the Dairy Queen.

Police think the two robberies could be related. "Those could be possibly related, due to the fact that both suspects had matching descriptions on both incidents. And both armed with knives and the motive was very similar," said Fort Wayne police officer John Chambers.

Then just before 4 p.m. Saturday, Boudoir Noir was robbed.

Police said a black man in his early twenties entered the store and demanded cash. He did not show a weapon, but he did get away with cash. Police used a K-9 unit to track him.

Police say, three robberies in one day is odd, but a spike in crime this time of year is not. "As the holiday season approaches, we've noticed an increase in armed robberies throughout the city," said Chambers.

Anyone with information about any of these robberies is asked to call Fort Wayne police at (260) 427-1201.