PEORIA, Ariz. — A man has been arrested in connection with a string of massage parlor robberies in Peoria earlier this month, police said.
Mitchell Briggs, 23, is accused of breaking into four different businesses all within about five minutes of each other.
Details about the arrest are limited but Peoria police said that Briggs was booked with the help of the Glendale Police Department.
Briggs is facing multiple burglary, armed robbery, aggravated assault and kidnapping charges, according to court documents.
Police say officers responded on Sept. 5 to the first break-in near 83rd Avenue and Cactus Road after a nearby person called 911 to report suspicious activity.
"We're looking at the same M.O. with all of these burglaries/robberies, where the windowpanes are being removed and the subject is making entry into these businesses," Peoria police Public Information Officer Kristopher Babros said.
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Officers then responded to reports of a second break-in at 89th and Olive Avenues.
Investigators said the suspect broke into the businesses with employees inside and stole items. Police couldn't specify what those items were.
"At that point, our officers became proactive, and we kind of noticed a trend that was happening," Babros said. "So, they began to go to other similar businesses within the Peoria area."
Babros said officers rushed to a body spa located near 91st and Peoria Avenues to find the suspect had already come and gone.
"They tried to get ahead but when they got here it was already too late," Babros said.
The final shop was a massage parlor near 75th Avenue and Thunderbird Road.
In some cases, police said windows were shattered and in others, the glass was removed.
"He has to have some type of training, where they're actually suction cupping the window out from its area and crawling through a window," Babros said.
Investigators say all of the break-ins are connected, but they're not yet sure why.
"We can say that all of these are tied together," Babros said. "Our detectives are working at all the scenes fluidly and trying to collect as much information as we can. We have forensic techs that are coming out that are going to try to collect fingerprints and DNA and all of that."
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