For the second time in less than four months, an Alexandria gas station has been hit by an armed robber.
The first time a cashier was shot. Monday night, the robber got away with cash -- but no one was injured.
Both crimes happened at the Liberty gas station in the 700 block of N. Washington Street. The station draws customers for its low gas prices. But as light snow fell Monday around 6:30 p.m., a robber took advantage of a rare quiet moment at the station.
Surveillance video shows the man stride across the parking lot, dressed in all black, a ski mask covering his face. He reaches the the cashier inside, shows a gun, gets money and then runs away down Washington.
Station owner Dennis Kane he's shaken by what's happened for a second time.
"It makes you wonder about the safety of your employees at any given time, since this was much earlier than the last robbery, " Kane said.
The October armed robbery took place around 11:30 p.m. Fortunately, the cashier who was shot has recovered -- at least physically.
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"He's still traumatized, and not working as many hours as he used to, understandably," Kane said.
Tuesday, an Alexandria police detective met with Kane to view the surveillance video. It's believed police are looking for two different suspects. The gunman who struck in October was stocky. Monday's robber was taller and thin.
Longtime customers were surprised by the news. Allen Zeman has been coming to the station for more than two decades.
"Alexandria is a pretty safe place. It's unfortunate they target family-owned places like the Liberty Station. The people who run this do great service at a great price," said Zeman. "They are here working hard 6 and 7 days a week so it kind of breaks my heart."
