Fort Worth police are asking for help identifying the bandits in three recent robberies.
On Jan. 22, three women held up a convenience store at Bryant Irvin Street and Overton Ridge Boulevard while a customer stood right at the counter.
On Jan. 23, a man robbed a woman depositing money at an ATM at University and Berry near TCU.
On Dec. 29, a gunman walked into a convenience store on Mansfield Highway. The clerk pulled out his own gun, and bullets flew. Incredibly, nobody was hit.
But after the gunman ran out, he stole two cars and kidnapped a mother and her 2-year-old child, police said.
The bandits in all three crimes are still on the loose.
Violent crime has risen nationwide and robberies are nothing new in big cities, but Fort Worth is seeing a rash of them.
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"They're putting the public's life in immediate danger,” Officer Buddy Calzada said. “We want to get that information out. Our cry right now is help us out."
Police say it's unclear why they are seeing a spike in violent crimes including shootings.
Last year, Fort Worth recorded the most murders in more than a quarter-century.
The new police chief, Neil Noakes, plans a new focus on shootings – in which someone is injured and not killed.
He spoke about it after he was appointed to chief last week.
"We're starting a new non-fatal shooting response team that will address our non-fatal shootings specifically because often times the only difference between a non-fatal shooting and a homicide is a little bit of luck,” Noakes said.
