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Police: Clearwater Thieves May Be Targeting Hispanics

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TBO.com

Published: October 10, 2008

CLEARWATER - Police say Hispanics may have been targeted in a series of robberies in an area of Clearwater.

Since January, there have been at least 45 robbery incidents in which Hispanics were victims, city officials say.

Few arrests have been made, and police are seeing a resurgence of the trend, city officials say.

Since July, there have been five incidents fitting the pattern in an area bounded by Drew Street, Highland Avenue, Woodlawn Street and Myrtle Avenue.

In all cases, at least one of the victims was a Hispanic male, city officials said.

In all the cases, two male suspects were armed with at least one handgun.

In most cases, the suspects were described as between 17 and 25 years of age. In 11 cases, the suspects wore a covering to conceal their faces. In most cases, the subjects knocked the victims to the ground and kicked or punched them or held a gun to their heads before taking their wallets and money. In two incidents, a victim was shot.

The majority of the incidents, 32, occurred between 10 p.m. and 2:30 a.m., and the robberies have occurred on every day of the week.

The Clearwater Police Department is working with various members of the community to provide local Hispanics with the following safety tips: walk or ride with others, be aware of surroundings, do not carry large amounts of cash, pick a safe route and stay away from dark areas.

"Many of these cases seem to be targeted crimes of opportunity," said Hispanic Outreach Officer Brian Munoz. "By taking certain precautions, you can significantly reduce your risk."

Clearwater police will have extra patrols in the area.

Those with information about the robberies are asked to call the department's tip line at (727) 562-4422.

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