Multiple police agencies investigating string of robberies

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Multiple police agencies in Michiana are searching for the suspects who robbed five gas stations and convenience stores in South Bend, Mishawaka, and Elkhart within 48 hours.

The Fresh Way store was robbed not once, but twice within that time frame. 

The building is always under surveillance, and workers inside gave ABC57 exclusive footage of one of the robberies as it happened.

Surveillance video shows five men catch a Fresh Way worker off guard, as they swarm into the room behind a glass wall. 

With hands in the air, and a gun in his face, the worker surrenders the cash register.

You see the men empty the money from the register, and grab cigarettes off the wall. 

This video shows the terrifying scene of just one of the six similar robberies that have happened within 48 hours in South Bend, Mishawaka, and Elkhart -- some happening within minutes. 

The last stop was back where the robbers began – the suspects hit Fresh Way again around 1 in the morning.

Anne Costello lives near one gas station targeted in South Bend. She says the series of robberies is frightening.

“When something is sort of an established pattern like this you know that they’ve gotten away with it, and then gotten away with it, and then  gotten away with it, so that’s a worry,” Costello said. 

Multiple police agencies across the area are working together in this investigation and hope to put stop to them before someone gets hurt.

“That’s a worry that they are so good, elusive, that they’ve managed to make a living more or less doing this,” said Costello. 

This is how the series of robberies took place:

On June 5, the series of robberies began just before 11. Fresh Way, a convenience store was robbed at gunpoint.

On June 6, the suspected robbers hit the 7-Eleven on LaSalle in South Bend just after one in the morning.

Not even 15 minutes late, police say the Citgo on Lincolnway West in South Bend was the next target.

That same day just before midnight, the 7-Eleven on Nappanee Street in Elkhart was robbed.

Now into June 7, the Family Express located on Union Street in Mishawaka was robbed after 12:30 in the morning.

The last stop was back where the robbers began – the suspects hit Fresh Way again around 1 in the morning.