Masked gunmen have struck at least eight Portland bars in the last month, stumping investigators and stoking fears within the city’s tight-knit service industry.

Police said they have made no arrests and can’t confirm whether the same two people are behind all the cases despite striking similarities in the hold-ups.

Each of the targets has been an established neighborhood tavern with a bank of video lottery machines prized by the gunmen. Nearly all of the heists have occurred early in the week and late at night, when only a handful of workers and customers are around.

The places hit so far are all in North Portland or on the east side.

As the number of robberies continues to rise, so too has the anxiety.

“It has rattled members of the bartending world, no question about it,” said Nick Peck, the owner of Mulligan’s Bar & Grill on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard.

Two armed men entered Mulligan’s just before 1 a.m. on Nov. 12, a Tuesday, with their guns drawn, said Peck and police. Only a bartender and off-shift cook were inside.

The masked suspects took money from the till and tried to force the bartender to open up the video lottery machines, which contain cash, according to Peck and surveillance video.

The bartender didn’t have copies of the keys needed to unlock the lottery machines and the bandits bolted after a few minutes, the owner said.

“We’ve put up signs in our windows: ‘We don’t carry cash keys,’” said Peck.

Since then, two men with similar profiles have hit the Tulip Shop Tavern, Lotsa Luck Bar & Grill, Cosmo Lounge, Wilshire Tavern, Lombard Pub and Mock Crest Tavern. [see dates, locations and times of the robberies below]

Police said a single gunman also held up Darcy’s Restaurant and Bar on North Lombard Street twice in the last week, including early Wednesday.

According to bar employees, the masked gunmen seemed comfortable and in control of the situation. They’ve avoided violent confrontations and largely ignored patrons and their property, often zeroing in on the video lottery loot.

Witnesses at the Mock Crest Tavern heist, which occurred early Monday, said they believed the suspects made their getaway in a gold Lexus LS400.

The string of robberies is reminiscent of a 2017 crime spree, where a pair of masked gunmen held up 14 taprooms around Portland throughout the summer.

Those suspects, however, would target customers and could at times turn violent. Two men were eventually accused and tried for the robberies, but a jury acquitted them of all charges.

This time around, bar employees throughout the city feel at a loss.

“A bunch of us have no idea what to do," said one person who tends bar in the Cully neighborhood. "We don’t have a door guy. There’s just one person closing.

“It just kind of feels like we’re a bunch of sitting ducks.”

Nov. 12, 12:50 a.m. Mulligan’s Bar & Grill (3518 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.)

Nov. 18, 2019, 2:03 a.m. Tulip Shop Tavern (825 N. Killingsworth St.)

Nov. 19, 2019, 12:19 a.m. Lotsa Luck Bar & Grill (2136 S.E. Powell Blvd.)

Nov. 19, 2019, 2:30 a.m. Cosmo Lounge (6707 S.E. Milwaukie Ave.)

Nov. 25, 2019, 11:33 p.m. Wilshire Tavern (4052 N.E. 42nd Ave.)

Nov. 30, 2019, 11:17 p.m. Lombard Pub (3416 N. Lombard St.)

Dec. 6, 2019, 5:29 p.m. Darcy’s Restaurant and Bar (4804 N. Lombard St.)

Dec. 9, 2019, 1 a.m. Mock Crest Tavern (3435 N. Lombard St.)

Dec. 11, 12:27 a.m. Darcy’s Restaurant and Bar (4804 N. Lombard St.)

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632

Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh

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