A Gainesville gas station and a restaurant were both robbed on Monday night, police said.
At 7:35 p.m. a man wearing gloves and a ski mask approached the Kangaroo Express counter at 3423 S.E. Hawthorne Road and told the clerk he was going to count to three and start shooting if he didn't give him money, said Art Forgey, a spokesman for the Alachua County Sheriff's Office.
Forgey said after the clerk gave the man an undetermined amount of cash, the man left on foot and headed south.
The second armed robbery happened at 10:10 p.m. at Cedar River Seafood Restaurant, 2320 N.W. 43rd St.
An employee was taking the trash out of the back door when two men wearing ski masks forced him on the ground and tied his hands behind his back with tape, Forgey said.
After entering through the back door, the men found the manger in an office area counting deposit money and tied up his hands and feet as well, Forgey said, adding that it is too early to tell if the crimes are related.
