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Washington police searching for man wanted for robbing, assaulting workers at 2 adult stores

Posted at 12:55 PM, Mar 13, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-13 12:55:02-04

PUYALLUP, Wash. – Police are on the hunt for a man responsible for robberies and assaults at two adult stores.

The first incident, a robbery, happened Friday night in Puyallup. The second, robbery and the sexual assault of an employee, happened in Tacoma early Monday morning.

Surveillance video released by police shows a masked man accosting a female employee near closing time at Lovers Friday night.

In the video, the suspect has his hands on one employee. He walks her through the store, followed by a second employee, while police say the suspect robs them of merchandise and cash.

The Puyallup Police Department said it has increased patrols around the shopping district after Friday’s robbery.

“There’s a lot of girls that work here and around here that probably don’t know how to defend themselves,” said Katie Kortman who lives nearby.

Early Monday morning, Tacoma police said the same man hid out near Castle Superstore where he assaulted a male employee at closing time and sexually assaulted a female employee.

Police said both crimes seem to have been committed by the same suspect at adult stores.

Tacoma police described the suspect as a heavy-set black man wearing all black clothing and being around six feet tall.