Police search for armed robber disguised as 'ninja'

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- Police have released surveillance footage in hopes of catching a suspect who dresses like a ninja and robs convenience stores across South Florida.

North Miami Beach Police believe the crook has hit at least 12 different gas stations and convenience stores throughout Miami-Dade and Broward County.

In one of the surveillance videos, recorded on July 13, the suspect is seen walking into the Kwik Stop off Northeast 182nd Street and 19th Avenue in North Miami Beach, demanding cash from the store clerk.

The serial robber struck another North Miami Beach convenience store, and was captured on surveillance video as he put a gun up to a young female customer's head. He then demanded cash from the store clerk, as the victim quivered in fear, before he fled the scene.

Police have released several other surveillance videos of this individual. In another video, the suspect takes out a cash register and smashes it on the ground. After he tried unsuccessfully to get the cash out of the register, the suspect just took the entire register. The store clerk in that robbery can be seen running away, as the suspect rummaged through drawers.

On Aug. 3, the same "ninja" crook struck yet again, this time at a store near 2705 SW 15 Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Surveillance video shows the suspect as he walked into the store. The victim of that robbery, who works at the store, said, "He opened the door, and he was wearing all black. I saw only his eyes, and he told me, 'Come in here and open the register.' I opened the register, he took all the money, and he told me to go to the back room to open the safe."

Police called the suspect armed and extremely violent. The suspect is said to be a white male. He wears a black cloth over his head with just the eyes cut out, police said.

Authorities said they are worried because the suspect's robberies are becoming more and more frequent. He recently robbed a BP gas station store along 152nd Street and Biscayne Boulevard.

Not only are police concerned about the robberies; innocent people are inside the stores during the "ninja" suspect's robberies, and they fear that the robberies can have fatal consequences. "This guy is extremely dangerous. He's put guns to people's heads, he's robbed 12 different businesses throughout Dade and Broward Counties, and he needs to be caught," North Miami Beach Police Detective Mike Stein said. "It's a lot of stores, and we don't know what this guy is capable of. He seems to be getting more brazen with every robbery that he's committing."

If you have any information on this robber, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS or Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

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