Pine Bluff police investigate pair of armed robberies

Authorities in Pine Bluff are investigating two armed robberies of businesses that occurred less than an hour apart Monday night.

In the first case, a masked man went into the McDonald's at 107 Blake St. shortly before 9:30 p.m. and fired once from a shotgun, a Pine Bluff Police Department report said.

The man then chased two employees as they ran from the business. When one of the employees fell in a ditch, the gunman put the weapon to her head and demanded she keep her face in the ground, the report said.

No money was taken from the restaurant, and the report did not indicate anyone was injured.

About 10:20 p.m., police were called to Hazel's Bottle Shop at 2811 S. Hazel St. to investigate a report that a man armed with a shotgun went in, pointed the weapon at a clerk and demanded cash. The robber then fled with about $2,500, a separate police report said.

The gunman is described as a light-skinned black man who wore all black except for white gloves on his hands and a white T-shirt over his face. A second black man who wore white shoes, a gray T-shirt, black shorts and a white T-shirt over his face stood at the liquor store's front door, the report said.

Police say both cases remain under investigation, and it's unknown whether they are related. No arrests have been made.

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