Trio robs 3 Colorado Springs stores in less than an hour

Colorado Springs police have detained three people in connection to three convenience store robberies that occurred early Thursday morning.

The first robbery happened just after 3:00 a.m., in a 7-Eleven at the intersection of Academy Boulevard and Constitution Avenue.

The second hold-up happened at 3:30 a.m., in a 7-Eleven near the intersection of Marksheffel and Barnes roads.

The final robbery was around 3:45 a.m., in a Kum & Go at the intersection of North Carefree Circle and Peterson Road.

In all three robberies, police said two suspects entered the stores with a weapon, demanded money and escaped with cash before officers arrived.

One store manager said the robbers were wearing masks but police haven’t confirmed that.

Police wouldn’t say what led them to detain the three people, but they also said the latest hold-ups are part of a continuing trend in which city robberies have risen nearly 8 percent this year.

“We had these three and three more the previous night,” said Lt. Howard Black. “We have quite a few detectives investigating robberies that happened just in the past week.”

Black said the reason for the increase in robberies is unclear.

“Our staff is investigating that very matter,” he said.

If you have any information about the robberies, call police at 719-444-7000.

“We want people to be alert and be good witnesses,” Black said. “So that they can help identify these robbers or anyone who commits a crime.”