'Orange Bear' Masked Man Wanted In Armed Robbery

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a Tuesday morning crime spree that resulted in three stores being robbed at gunpoint in the span of an hour. While detectives believe two of the three robberies are connected, the third may not be. It was reportedly pulled off by a man in an "orange bear mask."

According to the sheriff's office, the first store to report an armed robbery Tuesday was the Speedway gas station at 13179 U.S. 301 S. In that case, a man walked into the store at 3:25 a.m. Feb. 21 armed with a short barrel shotgun.

Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay has announced a reward for the capture of the person responsible for the Speedway robbery. That armed robbery, Crime Stoppers said, is the third at the store since January. The suspect in the case is a male of unknown race who stands about 5-foot-5, according to Crime Stoppers. He has a thin build and was last seen wearing a green Nike sweatshirt, blue pants and black-and-white shoes, gloves and an “orange bear mask,” an email from Crime Stoppers said.

The second Tuesday morning armed robbery happened at 4:07 a.m. when deputies say a man walked into the 7-Eleven at 10016 McMullen Road. The man was armed with a handgun. Deputies say he took off from the store in a white vehicle, possibly a Nissan, following the robbery. A detailed suspect description in the second robbery is not available.

At 4:25 a.m., deputies say the 7-Eleven at 16781 FishHawk Blvd. was held up, as well.

While it is unclear if all three armed robberies are connected, the sheriff’s office said detectives believe the two 7-Eleven robberies are.

The trio of crimes, however, does have some similarities.

“In all three robberies, the armed suspect entered the establishment, demanded money and after receiving cash, fled the store,” an email from the sheriff’s office said. “There were no injuries in any of the robberies.”

Anyone with information about any of the three cases is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 813-247-8200. Tips may also be submitted through Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-873-TIPS.

Surveillance photo of the Speedway suspect courtesy of Crime Stoppers Tampa Bay