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A man armed with a pistol robbed two East Broadway businesses early Thursday before slipping from sight, prompting schools across Missoula to lock their doors and the University of Montana to cancel classes and lock students, faculty and staff inside buildings for three hours.

With temperatures steady at minus 17 degrees, officers with the Missoula Police Department responded to reports of the first robbery at the Motel 6 at 9:20 a.m.

Travis Welsh, public information officer with MPD, said the suspect demanded cash while brandishing a black semi-automatic pistol. He fled on foot, prompting police to focus their initial search along the icy streets of downtown Missoula.

At the time of the robbery, the suspect was wearing a red Hellgate High School letterman jacket bearing the name “Jennifer.” The man, described as white and 5 feet 5 inches tall, fled wearing plastic bags over his shoes, dark sunglasses and a light-colored bandanna.

About 21 minutes later, with officers still searching the area, reports of a second robbery came in from Taco Bell, across Broadway from the motel. Officers converged on the restaurant with weapons drawn, missing the suspect by a matter of minutes.