Two attempted robberies occur within minutes of each other Thursday in Merced

Two attempted robberies were made on a Walgreens location and a Chevron gas station in Merced on Thursday night, according to a Facebook post by the Merced Police Department.

The attempted robbery at Walgreens, located in the 3000 block of G Street, occurred at 9:40 p.m. when a suspect wearing all black clothing demanded money from a cash register inside the store. The clerk refused to hand over any money and the suspect fled, police said.

Thirteen minutes later, someone walked into a Chevron gas station store and demanded cash and lottery tickets.

The clerk refused to hand over anything, and the suspect left on a bicycle.

The description of the suspect in each attempted robbery matches, and police believe they are looking for one person who tried to rob both businesses.

The suspect is described as a white man, about 5-feet-2-inches tall, between 120 and 130 pounds, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants.

Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to call Officer Jacob Paynter at 209-385-6905 or write to paynterj@cityofmerced.org.