Two men sought in armed robbery of city gas station

Gallup police investigate an armed robbery of the Mataya's Phillips 66 gas station on U.S. 491 in Gallup on Wednesday. [Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent]

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Police are looking for two males in connection with the armed robbery of a local gas station on Wednesday afternoon.

Capt. John Allen, a spokesman for the Gallup Police Department, said two Hispanic men, described as in their 20s, entered the Mataya's Phillips 66 station on U.S. 491 at about 1:10 p.m. wearing bandannas to disguise their faces.

One suspect pulled out a silver pistol, reached over the store counter and took an undisclosed amount of money from the cash register while the station's two clerks watched helplessly.

The men fled the station by foot eastbound toward the Golden Corral parking lot. A search conducted of the area moments after the incident resulted in no arrests by police. The clerks were not harmed during the robbery.

"Unfortunately, we turned up empty-handed following the search," Allen said.

Police blocked off all entrances to the gas station while detectives gathered evidence from the scene. The first male suspect is described as about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs about 175 pounds. He was wearing a dark colored sweatshirt, blue baggy denim pants, a baseball cap pulled down to his eyebrows and a blue and black bandanna.

The second suspect is about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds. He was wearing a blue sweatshirt with a hood and blue baggy denim pants. He is also described as bald.

Allen said the store did have a security camera installed.

Anyone with information about the robbery, is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 722-6161. The organization is offering a reward of up to $1,000 to anyone that provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of a suspect.