5th Petaluma robbery in past week

A masked man robbed a convenience store early Tuesday in Petaluma, the latest in a string of similar crimes in the last week.

Petaluma police reported a man walked into a 7-Eleven store on Washington Street at about 12:20 a.m. and demanded a clerk give him money.

While no gun was seen, the robber made movements indicating he had a gun in his clothing, police said in a release.

The man ran from the store, heading east on Washington Street.

Police said unlike the four prior robberies, this time there was a customer inside. The customer ran from the store when they saw the masked man and detectives are hoping the person will come forward to help with the investigation.

Detectives still are determining whether Tuesday’s robber was the same man who held up four other Petaluma businesses since last Wednesday.

Three robberies occurred Wednesday and a fourth on Monday morning.

Monday’s robber wore all black and a black mask. Tuesday’s robber was similarly clad, although wore a gray shirt and black gloves.

Police are asking anyone with knowledge of the robberies to contact detectives at 707-778-4372.