Mobile police are asking the public for help identifying a man who walked into a Virginia Street convenience store in broad daylight and robbed it at gunpoint. The holdup happened before noon on a Sunday, and investigators released images of the suspect two days later in hopes someone would recognize him.
According to police, officers responded around 11:30 a.m. to a reported armed robbery at the Stadium Food Mart, located at 1301 Virginia St. Investigators said a man entered the store, covered part of his face with a scarf, and demanded money from the register at gunpoint. Once he had the cash, the man fled on foot from the scene.
Mobile Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Rains said the images captured during the robbery show a black man believed to be around 5 feet 7 inches tall and roughly 170 pounds, with a light complexion. He appeared to have dreadlocks with gold tips and wore a black bandanna covering the lower part of his face at the time of the robbery. Investigators said he was also dressed in a red hoodie layered under a black sweatshirt, light-colored pants and black shoes.
Police released a still image from surveillance footage showing the suspect holding a gun during the robbery, hoping that publicizing the photo would generate leads. The daylight timing of the robbery, at a store located along a well-traveled Mobile street, prompted investigators to move quickly in asking the community for tips.
Anyone with information on the suspect’s identity is asked to contact the Mobile Police Department at 251-208-7211, or to reach out anonymously through the department’s CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 251-208-7000. Tips can also be submitted by text message to MPD’s Intelligence Unit by sending the keyword CRIME411 to CRIMES, which corresponds to 274637 on most cellphone keypads.
Convenience store robberies remain a persistent concern for Mobile police, who regularly turn to public tip lines and released surveillance imagery to help identify suspects in cases where physical evidence at the scene is limited. Investigators have not said whether the Virginia Street case has been linked to any other recent robberies in the area, but they continue to urge residents and business owners nearby to remain alert and report suspicious activity.