Wilmington man arrested in connection with four armed robberies, attempted robberies

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man has been arrested in connection with a series of armed robberies and attempted robberies at four local businesses between Sunday night and early Monday morning, according to the Wilmington Police Department.

Police identified the suspect as 60-year-old Bruce Orr of Wilmington, who was arrested Monday afternoon, Oct. 26.

The first reported incident happened around 11:45 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, at a gas station in the 300 block of South College Road.

According to police, a man entered the business, demanded money from the cashier and threatened violence while implying he had a firearm. The cashier alerted a nearby coworker, and the suspect ran.

Shortly after midnight Monday, around 12:10 a.m., police received another robbery report from a restaurant in the 6800 block of Market Street.

A cashier told police a man pointed a firearm at her through the drive-thru window and demanded money from the register.

Hours later, around 3:45 a.m., the manager of a gas station in the 800 block of Pine Grove Drive called 911 to report another robbery.

Police said the suspect claimed to have a firearm and demanded money before forcing the manager to open both the cash register and the store’s safe. The suspect then fled the business.

Investigators determined that the same suspect and vehicle were involved in all three incidents. Police also linked the suspect to an earlier robbery at a gas station in the 4000 block of Oleander Drive.

As detectives investigated the robberies, patrol officers increased security checks at businesses operating overnight.

Police said investigators later located the suspect’s vehicle, unoccupied, in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Cedarwood Drive.

After obtaining arrest warrants, detectives located Orr inside an apartment on Cedarwood Drive and arrested him around 3 p.m. Monday.

Investigators seized cash and additional evidence during the arrest, according to police.

Orr faces the following charges:

• Three counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon
• One count of second-degree kidnapping
• One count of attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon

Orr is being held at the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center without bond.

Anyone with information about the robberies is asked to contact the Wilmington Police Department at 910-343-3600 or submit an anonymous tip through the Tip 411 app.