More This Week in Crime: Three's a Trend

Police are looking for leads in two Sunday night robberies near Hunters Woods Plaza which appear to be connected.

The first occurred outside a church in the 2300 block of Hunters Woods Plaza around 8:55 p.m. on Sunday. The victim, a 22-year-old man, was talking on his cell phone on a bench outside the church when a man approached him, drew a handgun and demanded the man's money.

After surrendering his money, the victim fled into the church.

This suspect is described as Hispanic, in his late-20s, and about 5 feet 8 inches tall.

Robbed outside a church? That's pretty cold. But the trail didn't stop there.

Police were still in the process of investigating the first robbery when they were called to the scene of the second. The victim, a 34-year-old Reston man, was walking near the intersection of Colts Neck Road and Winterthur Lane around 9:00 p.m. He too was approached by a man brandishing a gun, and was also robbed. This victim noticed a second suspect waiting in the distance for the first. Both the robber and his apparent accomplice fled the scene on foot.

Both of these suspects were described as Hispanic men in their 20s, about 5 feet 6 inches tall.

Fairfax County police are pursuing the theory that the two robberies are connected.

So, Watson, the assailants appeared to have walked about 5 minutes within a 5-minute time span, managing to shrink just two inches in the process. Coincidence? I think not!