In separate incidents just minutes apart Wednesday night, Aurora liquor store clerks used handguns to chase off a pair of robbers.
During the second robbery attempt, both suspects were wounded.
The first attempted robbery happened shortly before 10:30 p.m. at East Iliff Avenue and South Tower Road, Aurora police said. One man had a handgun, and both wore cloth masks.
A clerk at the store pulled his handgun, police said, and the would-be robbers fled, firing one shot inside the store and another shot outside as they left. No one was injured.
About six minutes later, there was a second attempted armed robbery near East Mississippi Avenue and South Tower Road.
“Two men matching the description of the suspects in the first attempted robbery entered the store,” police said.
A clerk with a handgun “fired multiple rounds at the suspects, who again fled without carrying out the robbery,” according to police.
A short time later, officers found a man nearby suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to a local hospital. About 45 minutes later, a second wounded man was found in the 14200 block of East Montana Circle. He too was taken to a local hospital.
Between the second attempted robbery and the call to East Montana Circle, there were two hit-and-run traffic incidents along the Interstate 225 corridor at East Alameda and East Mississippi avenues, police said.
Anyone with information on the incidents is asked to call Detective Mark Yacano at 303-739-6090 or Detective Dave Perry at 303-627-3162.
