A group of men pistol-whipped a shopper before robbing her at the Tulare Outlet Mall Wednesday morning, police announced.
Around 8:50 a.m., three armed suspects approached two women shopping at the mall’s north end, outside Galaxy Theatre. A suspect allegedly struck one woman with their weapon before taking her wallet.
More:Tulare Chase bank robbed at gunpoint on Christmas Eve, suspects at large
A second woman was knocked down during the confrontation, Sgt. Edward Hinojosa said in a news release. Both declined medical treatment at the scene.
The masked suspects escaped in a white four-door sedan with Oregon license plates.
On Christmas Eve, armed robbers hit the nearby Chase Bank, on Prosperity Avenue. Two suspects entered the building and opened fire, escaping with an undisclosed sum of cash. There were no reported injuries.
The suspects remain at large.
Despite the recent, high-profile incidents, Hinojosa said robberies are slightly down compared to last year; Tulare recorded 70 robberies in 2020 compared to 56 this year.
Anyone with information about either incident is urged to contact Tulare Police Department at 684-4290 or anonymously at 685-2300 ext: 4445.
Joshua Yeager is a reporter with the Visalia Times-Delta and a Report for America corps member. He covers Tulare County news deserts with a focus on the environment and local governments.
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