Multiple 7-Eleven locations closed overnight in wake of armed robberies, shootings on 7/11 Day
With several Southland communities left reeling in the wake of a series of armed robberies and shootings at local 7-Eleven locations, those same stores felt the pressure to close their doors overnight. In all, five people were shot, two fatally, as the stores were all hit within a five-hour span.
The crimes left two people dead and several others wounded as the convenience stores located in Upland, Ontario, Riverside, Santa Ana, Brea and La Habra were victimized by at least one suspect. Authorities are still working to determine if the same man, who has been shown on surveillance video in one store, struck at each location, though they are working with certainty that at least the Upland, Ontario, Brea and La Habra incidents are connected.
On Tuesday afternoon, police confirmed the suspect in the Riverside 7-Eleven robbery and shooting appears to be the same man suspected in the others across Southern California.
RELATED: Armed robberies at 6 different 7-Eleven stores leave 2 dead, several wounded
In an effort to prevent additional tragedy, a number of 7-Eleven stores located around the affected areas felt the need to close their doors, as advised by the 7-Eleven company. They recommended that stores in the Greater Los Angeles area remain wary during the riskiest hours of operation, when robberies normally occur.
CBS reporters visited several locations early Tuesday morning, noting that the stores located on Laurel Canyon Boulevard in North Hollywood and on Oxnard Street in Van Nuys were both closed until early morning.
It all began shortly after midnight on Monday, when a suspect struck at the 7-Eleven on Vine Ave. in Ontario, holding employees at gunpoint before leaving with $400. He then struck again at another location on West Arrow Route in Upland a little before 1 a.m. No shots were fired in either of the instances and no one was injured.
While it still isn't clear if the suspect is connected to all six incidents, though authorities are taking a deep look into the possibility.
The string of events took a turn for the worse in Riverside, after an innocent customer was shot in the head as the suspect robbed the 7-Eleven on La Sierra Avenue just before 2 a.m. They remain in grave condition.
Another shooting occurred in Santa Ana, outside of the store located on N. Spurgeon Street and 17th Street. Though the store wasn't open at the time, the suspect opened fire on a 24-year-old man authorities have now identified as Matthew Rule. He was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest.
Authorities believe that the next two instances, which occurred in Brea and La Habra, were related to the robberies in Ontario and Upland.
The first of the two took place in Brea at around 4:18 a.m., where the suspect entered the 7-Eleven on West Lambert Road and fatally shot the clerk. Brea police identified the victim as 40-year-old Matthew Hirsch, who had been working at the location for a little over six months.
RELATED: Father of man killed at Brea 7-Eleven shares his son's story
They believe that the suspect then made their way to the La Habra location on East Whittier Boulevard. Responding officers found two gunshot victims at the scene, a clerk and a customer, both of which were said to be in stable condition.
The search for the gunman continued Tuesday morning, as authorities maintained their investigations at several locations. They have since identified him as a Black male, standing about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing around 160 pounds. Surveillance footage from the scene shows him wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt with a mask that covered the majority of his face.