CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — A man with a gun is robbing local businesses and Charlotte-Mecklenburg police told Eyewitness News catching him is their highest priority because he's targeting places where teenagers work.
Eyewitness News first reported the crime spree when it started. A tanning salon in Dillworth was robbed on June 5.
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Since that crime, police said four businesses in Charlotte and one in Mooresville have been robbed.
The latest crime happened Sunday evening when an armed man stole cash from Palm Beach Tan on Galleria Boulevard.
"It would be scary to know that you were in a tanning bed and someone was in there and you had no idea what was going on," said Palm Beach Tanning customer Laura Davis.
Davis didn't know the business was robbed until Eyewitness News told her Monday morning.
She said employees did not mention the crime.
"They didn't say anything to me at all," said Davis. "I'm actually really surprised. I was told they had gotten new lamps."
Hair salon workers right next door had no clue, either.
"I'm shocked," said salon manager Tiaesha Inabinett. "I can't believe something like that would happen around here. I would give them what they wanted."
According to police, the white male with brown hair behaves the same way every time he commits a crime.
Police said he enters businesses, calmly shows his gun, then demands cash.
The serial armed robber also has distinct facial features, including a hooked nose.
Besides businesses with young employees, police believe tanning salons may be his target because they're less likely to have surveillance cameras.
Officers hope business owners will install cameras or reposition them to capture a better view of people who enter the business.
The regional manager of Palm Beach Tan told Eyewitness News that he doesn't understand why the man is targeting tanning salons because most of their billing is done electronically.
Police said the robber got away with about $100.
Previous Stories: June 6, 2011: Police Search For Armed Robber in Dilworth Robbery
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