Man and woman arrested in connection to 12 robberies in east Calgary

A man andwoman are facing charges after a string of12 commercial robberies in Calgary, all of which occurred over the past month.

All the gas station and convenience store robberies are believedto be connected. Police said in a release last week that nine of them had a common suspect: a man in abrown hoodie and blue mask.

The thefts occurred in communities on the city's east side: Abbeydale, Forest Heights, Radisson Heights, Rundle, Sunridge, Erin Woods, Penbrooke Meadows, Red Carpet and Winston Heights/Mountview.

This past Saturday, police responded to two gas station robberies in the northeast located within minutes of one another, according to a release on Tuesday.

Around 1 a.m. Saturday, an Essoat 3550 52nd St. N.E.and a Petro-Canadaat 1051 Falconridge Dr. N.E.were robbed.

Police then increased patrols around gas stations in the area during the next few hours.

During that time, an officer identified a suspect fleeing from a Circle K on Coral Springs Boulevard N.E.Police later learned it had also been robbed.

After leaving the store, the suspectheaded to a waiting car driven by a woman.

Police say the suspects were tracked to a residence on Radcliffe Close S.E., where both were arrested.

Christopher Daniel Pictin, 29, and Jessica Ann Marie Gregory,35, have each been charged with three counts of robbery.

Additional charges are expected regarding the previous nine robberies.

"Thanks to the quick action of our patrol officers, we are able to hold two people accountable for these robberies, which have been impacting Calgarians for more than a month," saidDet. Tim Curtis in a release.

"Our officers showed impressive foresight in predicting the suspects' next target, apprehending the offenders and keeping Calgarians safe."