Published: May 15, 2008 07:58 am            

Man reportedly points gun, takes money from motel

Richmond Police are investigating an alleged armed robbery early Wednesday at a motel on Northgate Drive.

Officers responded at 12:55 a.m. to a report of a robbery at gunpoint at Motel 6, located near the Richmond Police Department station.

A female clerk told police that a white male came into the motel asking about a room before demanding money.

“Initially, the suspect only implied that he had a gun, but later pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the clerk,” a RPD press release stated. “The clerk complied with the suspect’s orders to turn over the money and the suspect fled on foot from the area.”

The suspect escaped with an undetermined amount of money.

No one was injured during the robbery.

Richmond Police K-9 officers on the scene unsuccessfully attempted to track the suspect.

The suspect was identified as 6 feet 2 inches tall with a very skinny build, possibly with red hair and wearing a red-hooded sweatshirt, jeans, black athletic shoes and a red bandanna around his face and neck.

Motel 6 was the site of another alleged robbery last July in which no arrests were made, said Sgt. Willard Reardon.

The suspect in that incident was identified as a possibly black male in his 20s to early 30s, weighing about 175 pounds and standing 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall.

Motels recently have been the target of several robberies in Lexington and other areas across the state, Reardon said.

“I don’t know if it’s a trend or not, but I guess because they are open all night usually and normally there are very few employees on at that given time,” he said. “There’s several factors that are in play.”

“With the Interstate running literally right behind (Motel 6), it’s pretty accessible,” Reardon said. “I don’t know if that has anything to do with it.”

With little information to go on, Reardon said investigators could use any assistance the public can provide in the case.

“Obviously, if anyone was in that area at that time and if they saw anything out of the ordinary, we’d appreciate it if they give us a call,” he said.

Anyone with information that is helpful to the investigation can call the Richmond Police Criminal Investigation Section at 623-8911.

Bryan Marshall can be reached at bmarshall@richmondregister.com or 624-6691.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.