Masked man accused of robbing 4 stores in Petaluma in one week

PETALUMA, Calif. (KGO) -- Petaluma police are searching for a man in a ski mask who has allegedly robbed four different stores in recent days.

The string of robberies seems uncharacteristic of the small city with a throwback feel. Petaluma is where Ronald Reagan shot a campaign commercial and George Lucas filmed "American Graffiti."

Surveillance video from a Valero gas station last week shows a man in a ski mask approaching the counter, saying he has a weapon and demanding money.

Petaluma police detective Ed Crosby has heard the same story four times now.

"'I have a gun. You have 30 seconds to give me blank,' either money, or in the case of Lucky, the medication he was after," Crosby said.

A Lucky store was the thief's third target and the third place he hit last Wednesday, beginning at a Quick Stop, then a Valero gas station. A 7-Eleven was the fourth and that robbery occurred 1:29 a.m. Monday. Police say it is significant that he has yet to actually show his weapon.

"There is much more state prison time that comes behind that, significantly more than if he says he has it," Crosby said.

Petaluma police say they're looking for what appears to a white male about six feet tall, 180 pounds, and based on photos, a master of disguise. The concern is that with success he and a possible partner may feel emboldened.

"The thing is we've have had four of these burglaries, thus far nobody's been hurt," Crosby said. "My concern is that in addition to the crime's being committed as he goes, the more this person keeps doing this the odds of escalation are going to increase."

It's not as if he has the element of surprise anymore, even in this clean-cut small city.