SAN DIEGO - Authorities are trying to determine if a man arrested following a pursuit in the South Bay late Monday night is the same person suspected in a string of gas station robberies earlier in the evening.
Police said an armed man held up three gas stations on Monday, with each location near a freeway on-ramp and within a few miles of each other.
-- Just after 7:30 p.m., at a Shell gas station on F St. near state Route 94, the armed man waved a gun at a clerk's face before taking a cash drawer
-- At about 8:02 p.m., at a 76 gas station on 1st Ave. near an on-ramp to Interstate 5, the suspected robber brandished a gun but did not get away with any money after the clerk slammed the cash register shut
-- Shortly after 9 p.m., at a Shell station near Interstate 5 at Division St., the armed man robbed a clerk and was able to take cash
The three gas stations captured the respective robberies on surveillance camera, and in each incident, the man was seen fleeing in a dark green, early 2000s model Ford Ranger with the left taillight out.
No shots were fired and no one was hurt in each of the three armed robberies.
At about 11:20 p.m., authorities located a Ford Ranger in National City and eventually arrested five people inside.
While the truck matched the description of the vehicle seen at the robberies, authorities did not immediately confirm if one of the five people was linked to the robbery spree.
