Around 6:30 pm on Thursday, February 22nd, an armed robbery occurred at the Helm Market and Gas station located at the corner of Lassen and Kamm Avenues in Helm. Three men, all wearing masks and gloves, arrived in a car believed to be a dark colored Nissan Versa. They entered the store, demanded money and ordered the two clerks to get down on the ground. One suspect held a revolver style handgun, another had a shotgun and the third suspect pointed an assault rifle at the victims. The suspects also confronted multiple customers in the store, who hid near the back aisles. The suspect took tills from the registers which contained cash. They also stole a paper bag from under the counter. The contents of the bag are unknown. The exact amount of money stolen is not being disclosed. The suspects were in an out of the store in a total of 55 seconds. They fled in the car they arrived in, which was left unoccupied in the parking lot during the robbery.
The store employees called the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office to report the robbery once all of the suspects were gone. Nobody was injured during the incident. High definition surveillance cameras captured images of the suspects and their car from several angles.
Anyone who knows the identities of the suspects or has additional information on this case is asked to contact Detective Carl Chalmers at (559) 600-8174, Detective Eric Penland at (559) 600-8171 or Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867. You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
