A $100,000 reward is being offered by 7-Eleven after six of its California stores were robbed within hours — in a crime spree that left two people dead and three others wounded, police said.
The convenience store chain announced the reward Wednesday in the wake of the deadly heists, which took place over five hours early Monday near Los Angeles, including in Brea, La Habra, Santa Ana, Ontario, Upland and Riverside, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“Our hearts remain with the victims and their loved ones, and our focus continues to be on the franchisee, associate and customer safety,” a 7-Eleven rep said in a statement.
Authorities said the six heists — which occurred on the company’s anniversary — appear to be connected.
Investigators are also looking into whether the thefts are tied to four armed robberies on Saturday at donut shops and convenience stores in the San Fernando Valley. No one was hurt in those incidents, police said.
Police investigate a shooting at a 7-Eleven store in Brea, where Matthew Hirsch, 40, was robbed and fatally shot, police said. AP“LAPD is aware of the series of murder/robberies in Ontario, Upland, Riverside, Santa Ana, Brea and La Habra and are working with investigators to see if there is any connection,” the LAPD said in a statement Tuesday.
The suspect in Saturday’s robberies is a man between the ages of 25 and 30, about 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing between 160 and 180 pounds. In all four, the perp produced a semi-automatic handgun and demanded cash from employees.
Police said no one was hurt during the first 7-Eleven robberies in Ontario and Upland early Monday, but a customer was then shot during a heist at a Riverside store and remains in grave condition, police told the Los Angeles Times.
Jason Harrel, a 46-year-old father of three, was shot in the head, his daughter told NBC Los Angeles.
“My dad is a fighter, so if anyone is going to make it through, I have full faith that it would be my dad,” Kaya Harrel told the station.
Less than two hours later, Matthew Rule, 24, was robbed and fatally shot outside a 7-Eleven in Santa Ana, where the suspect did not appear to enter the store, the Times reported.
Cops then responded to a robbery at a 7-Eleven in Brea, where clerk Matthew Hirsch, 40, of La Habra, was gunned down by a suspect, police said.
Matthew Rule, 24, of Santa Ana, was killed in a 7-Eleven parking lot early Monday. Cops are seeking a lone gunman. AP“We extend our deepest condolences to Matthew’s friends and family,” Brea police said. “His family remembers him as caring, compassionate and a dear friend to all.”
The last 7-Eleven heist occurred at about 4:55 a.m. Monday in La Habra. Two victims, believed to be a clerk and a customer, were shot and wounded, but are expected to survive, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Anyone with information on the 7-Eleven robberies should contact Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIPS-OCCS.
