The Starship Enterprises adult store on Hwy. 138 has been hit by an armed robber for the third time in less than a year.
In the latest robbery, according to a RCSO report, two Starship employees reported that the suspect arrived in a gold Lexus, then pointed a black .45-caliber handgun at them. The suspect forced the employees into a back room and bound them with black duct tape while saying, "I'm not going to hurt you."
The suspect stole a "change box" and a "money box," then drove away southbound on 138. One of the victims noted that the suspect appeared to be aware of a new Starship policy about hiding the boxes in the rear of the store, a move made in response to previous robberies. RCSO was unable to locate the Lexus.
The suspect is described as a black man in his mid- to late 20s. He wore a black hoodie or black cap covering what appeared to be dreds. He wore a red, white and blue bandanna across his face. He also wore blue tennis shoes with a green "squishy part" on the side of the shoe next to the arch.
It is unclear whether the suspect in the May 20 robbery is the same man wanted in a spree of more than a dozen robberies targeting various Starship locations around metro Atlanta in the past year. Last fall, the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office created a task force of federal, state and local officers to hunt down the robber.
The Conyers Starship location at 1682 Hwy. 138 was robbed on June 7 of last year, with the robber shooting a hole in the door. The same suspect robbed the store again on Sept. 12.
The suspect in the previous robberies was a black male but wearing different items, such as a ski mask and latex gloves. In last year's two robberies at the Conyers location, the suspect arrived on foot.
The Starship chain sells sex toys, adult movies, smoking pipes and similar items. It was already offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the serial robber.
Anyone with information about the crime can contact RCSO at 770-278-8152, or give an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477 or crimestoppersatlanta.org.
