Belfast: police in hunt for armed robber
The man threatened staff with a knife before stealing cash
Police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of an armed man, believed to have carried out three robberies in Belfast within 24 hours.
The incidents all took place in commercial premises and the man threatened staff before making off with cash.
A PSNI spokesperson said: “We received a report at around 9.05pm on Wednesday, 30th July that a man had entered an off-licence store in the Sunnyside Street area.
"He told the staff to hand over money from the till before threatening them with a knife. He then made off with a sum of cash in a small brown paper bag, headed in the direction of Haywood Avenue.
“The suspect is described as being approximately 6ft tall and of medium build. He was wearing a blue Adidas hoodie which had red upper arms featuring three white stripes and a red hood, pulled tight around his face. He also wore black tracksuit bottoms and black and white trainers, along with sunglasses and black gloves.
“The robbery occurred between 8.40pm and 8.50pm and we would appeal to anyone who saw a man matching this description, or who may have CCTV or dash-cam footage, to contact us on 101, quoting reference number 1567 of 30/07/25.”
Police received a report of a second armed robbery at around 1pm yesterday (Thursday) when a man entered an off-licence store in the Stranmillis Road area.
The PSNI spokesperson added: “The male entered the store at around 12.45pm and threatened staff with a knife, demanding cash before making off in the direction of Stranmillis Park.
“He is described as being 5ft 10’’ tall and of average build, with a dark beard. He was wearing a red and blue hoodie with the hood tied across his face, along with navy jogging bottoms and a dark-coloured glove with light sections on his right hand.
“We’re asking that anyone who saw a man matching this description, or who may have CCTV or dash-cam footage, to contact us on 101, quoting reference number 699 of 31/07/25.”
Police then received a report of a third armed robbery at around 8.20pm on Thursday, 31st July, when a man entered an off-licence store in the Ormeau Road area.
The spokesperson added: “Again, this report involved a man entering the store and threatening staff with a knife, demanding that they hand over the contents of the till.
“We believe this is the same individual involved with the previous two robberies, who is described as being 5ft 10’’ - 6ft tall, of medium build and approximately 40 years old. He was wearing light-grey tracksuit bottoms and a grey fleece, along with a navy beanie hat, a white T-shirt or bandanna used as a mask and black gloves. He also wore khaki-coloured trainers and carried a white plastic bag.
“The suspect made off in the direction of the city centre and we’re appealing to anyone who saw a man matching this description, or who may have CCTV or dash-cam footage from the area, to contact us on 101, quoting reference number 1448 of 31/07/25.
“A report can also be submitted online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.”