Bradenton cops nab robbery suspect, thanks to a gray hoodie and fingerprints

A man believed to be a suspect in three different armed robbery investigations was arrested Thursday night.

The Bradenton Police Department says that Tirrell Milton committed three armed robberies about a month apart from each other. He reportedly robbed a Marathon gas station and the same Smoothie King twice.

Milton, 24, reportedly wore similar outfits during the robberies, including a gray hoodie with orange drawstrings, gray sweatpants and a dark bandana over his face. After he robbed the Smoothie King a second time, employees reported that it was the same man as before.

Police say that Milton stole at least $1,800 over the course of his three heists and displayed a black handgun.

Fingerprint evidence from that robbery at Smoothie King led to his arrest when investigators used video surveillance footage to discover that he opened the door on the way out of the building with an uncovered hand.

Prints from the door revealed the suspect to be Milton, who has a criminal history of felony charges for possession of heroin and cocaine, according to an arrest report.

Police began surveillance at Milton’s house in the 3300 block of 19th Street East on the day of the arrest and began to tail him when he entered a car driven by his girlfriend. He exited the car to deliver a duffel bag to someone and was apprehended when he got back to the car.

A search of Milton’s home was conducted, and police found the items of clothing that the suspect reportedly wore during each robbery attempt.

Milton faces a slew of charges, including two counts of aggravated assault and three counts of armed robbery. He is being held without bail.

This story was originally published November 6, 2017 at 8:37 PM with the headline "Bradenton cops nab robbery suspect, thanks to a gray hoodie and fingerprints."