IMPD investigating string of armed robberies at Eastside bars

The stories are similar: Guys walk into a bar carrying handguns, demand money, then flee.

In the first three weeks of October, in an area on the Eastside measuring less 1 1/2 square miles, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department reports indicate that five bars have been threatened and robbed by armed men.

On Oct. 1, two suspects walked into Bar 52 at 3806 English Ave. around 1:21 a.m. and pointed a gun at a man in the business. Police said the two suspects fled the scene before IMPD officers arrived, no one was injured and nothing was stolen.

Three days later, on Oct. 4, three men robbed the Butler Inn at 5221 E. Washington St. just before 11 p.m. and took off with an unknown amount of money, police said.

Then, in the midnight hour of Oct. 13, five to six men were seen approaching the Hilltop Tavern at 6500 E. 10th St., police said. Three of them forced their way into the bar at gunpoint and demanded money. While the suspects were inside the bar, police said, several of the patrons were robbed, and the men fled with an undisclosed amount of money.

Three days later, J. Clydes, near 10th Street and Bosart Avenue, was robbed. Victims told police that two men wearing dark clothing and red bandannas over their faces came into the bar armed with pistols shortly after 10:30 p.m. One of them stole the money from the register, the tip jar and a patron's money off the counter in front of her while both suspects pointed pistols at everyone in the bar.

They fled the bar on foot, police said.

The latest Eastside bar robbery happened at the Shi-Kay Lounge at 1514 North Emerson Avenue late Tuesday night. A police report said three guys robbed the place, and that one was possibly a juvenile.

"As of now, these are active investigations, and we will not be commenting on them due to the early stages of the investigations," said Detective Steven Gray, who works in IMPD's robbery/aggravated assault unit. "We are looking into the possibilities that they are connected, but it is still too early to confirm or rule that out."

Gray and several other detectives are working the cases, and he said they will continue to follow any leads as they are developed. He said he's not sure why the suspects targeted those bars.

The Indianapolis Star contacted several victims of the robberies, but they declined to comment for this story.

In a similar incident, a popular Meridian-Kessler eatery and bar was robbed by three masked men Wednesday night.

Shortly after 11 p.m., IMPD officers were called to Binkley's Kitchen & Bar, 5902 N. College Ave., on a report of a robbery.

IMPD Lt. Richard Riddle said investigators were told that three men with bandannas covering their faces walked into the restaurant with guns drawn.

One of the suspects ordered the approximately 15 people inside to the floor and demanded money, Riddle said. Another suspect hopped the bar and began pulling money from the register.

The third suspect went to the basement and tried unsuccessfully to open a safe. The three men exited a rear door and ran west on Kessler Boulevard.

After police arrived, one patron at the restaurant had to be treated by medics after experiencing chest pains.

Riddle said about $300 in cash was taken during the robbery.

"Every case has its own set of challenges and complications," Gray said. "When connecting the cases, we have to determine what information matches and what doesn’t among other things."

Star reporters Justin L. Mack and Jill Disis contributed to this article. Call Star reporter Michael Anthony Adams at (317) 444-6123. Follow him on Twitter: @MichaelAdams317.