Petaluma police on lookout for robber pulling double duty

Petaluma police are looking for a man they say robbed two businesses in a span of 45 minutes Wednesday night.

The person sought by police was described as a man in his 30s, wearing all black clothing and driving a newer model dark blue Chevrolet Cruze.

In a Nixle alert sent Thursday morning, police described a quick caper that started before 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Safeway on South McDowell Boulevard and continued about 8:15 p.m. less than 2 miles away at the 7-Eleven convenience store on Lakeville Highway.

Police say the man asked a cashier at Safeway for change, grabbed a fistful of cash while the employee was distracted and then bolted from the store with his lucre.

At the 7-Eleven, police say a subject matching the man’s description walked behind the sales counter and pushed a clerk out of the way, again taking an undetermined amount of cash before leaving.

“Officers were able to confirm from video surveillance that the subject involved in the Safeway theft was the same subject in the 7/11 robbery,” police said in their release.

Surveillance video footage showed the man leaving the area in the dark blue Chevy Cruze.

It wasn’t immediately clear if police had separate surveillance video of the subject. The only image released by authorities was of the vehicle.

Police did not immediately return a request for clarification.

*This story will be updated as more information comes available.