Police: Man arrested in North Little Rock holdup linked to 6 other robberies in central Arkansas

A gun-wielding assailant (left) is seen in surveillance camera during a robbery May 8 at the A-Z Hess at 4614 E. Broadway in North Little Rock. At right, 20-year-old Joseph Hayes has been charged in that robbery as well as three others recently in North Little Rock.
A gun-wielding assailant (left) is seen in surveillance camera during a robbery May 8 at the A-Z Hess at 4614 E. Broadway in North Little Rock. At right, 20-year-old Joseph Hayes has been charged in that robbery as well as three others recently in North Little Rock.

A man arrested after a North Little Rock convenience store clerk was robbed at gunpoint early Tuesday has been linked to multiple armed holdups in central Arkansas, police said.

The North Little Rock Police Department responded around 2:50 a.m. to the Valero Superstop at 605 E. Broadway, according to a report.

A gas station clerk said that he was behind the counter making a breakfast item when he walked back to the register to see a person brandishing a black semi-automatic handgun.

“Give me all the money,” the assailant, later identified by authorities as 20-year-old Joseph Hayes, reportedly said while pointing the weapon at the worker.

The worker removed money from the cash register and placed it on the counter, at which point the robber fled the scene with about $250 in cash, the report states.

While police responded, the worker received a call from a friend who said that she was at a gas pump at the time and could provide more information about the robber, according to authorities.

The woman said the assailant ran east toward the parking lot of Sam’s Eatery at 613 E. Broadway and appeared to have driven off in a silver Dodge Durango.

A man — who also brandished a black semi-automatic weapon, wore a black hoodie and had a bandanna covering part of his face — had been sought in three other recent robberies in North Little Rock.

Those robberies were reported May 8 at the A-Z Hess at 4614 E. Broadway, May 12 at the Coastal at 1513 E. Washington and May 13 at the AGC Food Mart at 2910 E. Broadway.

That assailant, as with the most recent robbery in North Little Rock, was described as a black man in his early 20s who stands between 5 feet 9 inches and 6 feet tall.

Surveillance video from the Valero gas station heist Tuesday showed that the robber had the same mannerisms such as "pulling his mask down to talk to the cashiers," which allowed investigators to get a facial profile, according to the report.

Little Rock police suspect that Hayes is also responsible for three robberies in Little Rock, including one May 12 at the Mapco at 5420 W. 12th St.

Hayes remained at the Pulaski County jail as of Thursday afternoon on several counts of aggravated robbery and theft of property, records show. His bail was set at $400,000.

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