Dramatic surveillance video captured an armed robbery at a convenience store in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood.
A man armed with a gun tussled with a customer and stole her money.
He then made his way behind the counter, helping himself to the cash in the register.
"I was here minutes before the incident, and I thank God I wasn't here because you don't know what could have happened," said a customer who did not want to be identified.
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The crime took place around 12:45 p.m. Tuesday at the Paradise Market on Warren Street.
An hour earlier, a 7-Eleven in Brighton, about five and a half miles away, was also hit by a man with a gun.
Staff at the store said the suspect said he didn't want to hurt anyone and he just wanted cash and cigarettes.
"You definitely don't see this happen in Brighton often," said neighborhood resident William Woods. "It's a tough economy, people are hurting, people are hungry, it's tough that it comes down to things like this."
It happened on a busy stretch of Washington Street near Oak Square, where neighborhood residents said this type of crime is rare, especially in the middle of the day.
"I've been here about seven years," said Maureen Mayer. "I always feel safe, I walk my dog all the time and don't really worry about anything."
The gun-wielding suspect in both incidents was wearing a mask, dark clothing, and light blue latex gloves.
Boston police said the same man may be responsible for both crimes.
"I feel really safe here usually," said Sarah Angel, who works at Phil's Hair Design, which is right across the street from the 7-Eleven in Brighton. "I've never worried about it before, I guess it's something to think about now, unfortunately."
Police are trying to figure out if both robberies are connected to the same suspect.
Nobody was injured.
