WESTBROOK — Police in the city are teaming up with the police forces in Portland, Falmouth, Cumberland and South Portland to apprehend the individual, or individuals responsible for robbing eight business in the area since March 20, including a convenience store, coffee shop and sandwich shop in Westbrook.

The most recent robbery took place around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night when a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a mask attempted to rob the Aroma Joe’s coffee shop on Western Avenue in South Portland but left empty handed. Audio of the event was captured on video.

Westbrook Police released video footage of a Monday night robbery at a Subway in Pride’s Corner in the hopes someone would be able to provide some leads. The video can be viewed below and at https://youtu.be/6-QOdXTVFbk.  If someone recognizes the suspect, they can contact the Westbrook Police Department at 854-0644. Anonymous tips can also be left at 591-8117.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=6-QOdXTVFbk

Subway manager Kerri Consiglio said a white man, whose face was covered, entered the Route 302 sandwich shop around 8:34 p.m. and demanded that the employee on duty open the cash drawer. During the encounter, the robber could be seen carrying a handgun that was tucked into his waistband, said Consiglio, who wasn’t in the store at the time of the robbery.

However, the suspect never drew the weapon or threatened the employee with the gun, instead he spoke in a friendly manner telling the worker to “keep the change” – after he took about $200 in cash from the drawer.

The robber appeared to be alone and he fled on foot, Consiglio said.

No one was injured. Westbrook police investigating the robbery weren’t available to comment Monday night on whether the latest robbery is connected to the seven other holdups that have taken place in Portland, Falmouth and Cumberland.

The suspect appeared to be about 5 feet, 10 inches tall, the employee told Consiglio. The man was armed with a black handgun and was wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt and dark pants, according to a statement Westbrook police issued late Monday.

The first robbery in the recent string took place on Thursday, March 22 at 12:48 p.m., when a man came into the Good Times Variety on Saco Street, displayed a firearm and robbed the store. The man, described as 5 feet 7 inches t0 5 feet 9 inches tall wearing a blue sweatshirt with yellow writing or logo, with a mask, sunglasses and white New Balance sneakers, fled on foot. The department’s K-9 unit tracked the suspect down West Valentine and West Pleasant avenues, before losing the scent. Later that day Cumberland police reported that someone robbed the Irving gas station on 174 Main St. at 8:44 p.m.

Two days later, just before 8 a.m., a man wearing dark pants, a dark sweatshirt and a dark mask knocked on the back door of the The Daily Grind drive-thru on Main Street, threatened the employee and left with an undisclosed amount of money. Nobody was hurt in the incident.

The first robbery in the string of seven was March 20 at the Riverton Gas Station on Forest Avenue in Portland. On March 21, Falmouth police searched for a man who flashed a gun at the Lil’ Mart store on Route 1 around 8 p.m., then fled with some cash.

China Taste, 1223 Washington Ave., was held up around 8:40 p.m. Sunday by a suspect who displayed a firearm. The suspect escaped without cash as he was interrupted by staff who came out of the kitchen, Portland Police Department Lt. Robert Martin said.

At a press conference Monday afternoon, Martin said the physical descriptions and mannerisms of the robbery suspects are similar.

“I can’t say for sure the same perpetrator has committed all six robberies,” Martin said before this last hold-up. “The gun, height and general description of robber are generally the same.”

The six robberies since March 20 all involved a man wearing a face mask who used a handgun and calmly demanded cash, Martin said. No one has been hurt in the holdups. The FBI has joined police in Portland, Westbrook, Falmouth and Cumberland in the investigation, Martin said.

“A person armed with a firearm and closeness and proximity to the crimes elevates this to a desperate person who will likely continue to do what he is doing,” Martin said.

Police are also hoping those living near the robberies have videos showing a potential getaway vehicle, Martin said.

Staff writers David Harry and Michael Kelley contributed to this report.

The man who robbed the Riverton Gas Station in Portland last week, shown in a security camera image, was described as white, about 30 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall with a thin build. He was wearing a heavy dark jacket, dark cap, dark gloves and a half-face ski mask.