Police: Island Lake gas station robbery may be part of a pattern

An armed robbery at an Island Lake gas station may be related to other stickups in the area, police said Monday.

The robbery occurred about 8 p.m. Sunday at the Mobil station at 520 Newport Court.

Two men, one armed with a handgun, took an undisclosed amount of cash. No one was hurt.

The thieves approached a clerk as if they were buying a bottle of soda, Police Chief Dan Palmer said. When the employee opened the cash register, one pulled out a gun and pointed it at the employee.

After collecting the cash, the robbers fled in a gold Chevrolet with four doors and tinted windows, police said.

The gunman was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, but he may have been bald, Palmer said. He was about 6 feet tall.

His accomplice had a scraggly beard and also was wearing a hooded sweatshirt, Palmer said.

The crime appears to fit a pattern of robberies in the Island Lake area, police said.

Crystal Lake police are investigating two gas station robberies committed Sunday night by a pair of armed thieves. Palmer didn't say if the crimes are related, but acknowledged Island Lake police are working with other departments to see if there is a connection.

"We've got some good leads," Palmer said.

If you have information about the robbery, call Island Lake police at (846) 526-2100.