Two suspects sought after armed robberies in Berlin, Vernon and Meriden

Two suspects are being sought after eluding officers early Friday while police were investigating armed robberies in Berlin, Vernon and Meriden.

According to the Berlin Police Department, the robbers, wearing ski masks, pointed a gun at the clerk in the Citgo gas station on the Berlin Turnpike at about 1:31 a.m. before fleeing in a U-Haul van heading toward Newington with an undetermined amount of cash. The clerk was not injured.

Newington police spotted the van and pursued it onto a dead-end street, where the suspects fled on foot into a wooded area, Berlin police said.

Officers from Berlin, Newington, New Britain, West Hartford and Connecticut State Police set up a perimeter to search the area, using K9s and a drone. The robbers could not be found, but investigators seized the U-Haul van to process it for evidence.

Berlin police noted that the robbery came after multiple ones in other area towns with similar patterns.

Vernon police said they responded to an armed robbery at about 10 p.m. Thursday at the Valero gas station at 506 Talcottville Road. The suspects displayed a handgun and stole cash and cigarettes before fleeing the area.

No injuries were reported in the Vernon robbery.

According to Vernon police, a similar robbery was also reported in Meriden. Additional information on the Meriden incident was not immediately available Friday.

Anyone with information on the Vernon incident has been asked to contact police there at 860-729-6406, ext. 2037. Anyone with information about the Berlin holdup has been asked to call Berlin police at 860-828-7080.