DECATUR, AL (WAFF) -
Decatur Police are searching for a man accused of two armed robberies.
Investigators said 21-year-old Desmond Fletcher and an accomplice robbed a man at gunpoint in front of his apartment last Friday morning.
As that victim ran off and called 911, the two broke into another apartment and stole cash from two other men.
Police arrested one of the suspects, 21-year-old Latoria McGuire, but Fletcher is still free, and police consider him armed and dangerous.
All three victims are Hispanic, and police said crimes like this are increasingly common.
Police said criminals prey on the Hispanic community that may fear going to police.
Investigators think Hispanics may fear talking with police because of their immigration status, but cooperation and trust between police and the Hispanic community in Decatur are improving. Much of that is because there are more bi-lingual officers on the force.
Decatur PD has worked to establish relationships with the Hispanic community, and they said although criminals may see immigrants as vulnerable, those relationships are solving these cases.
The armed robberies happened at the Sandlin Villa Apartments in the Austinville area.
That neighborhood does have a higher than usual Hispanic population, but police aren't positive if the victims were targeted because they were Hispanic.
Decatur Police officials said their officers will not investigate immigration status of people who are crime victims or who report a crime.
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Desmond Fletcher (Source: Decatur Police Department)
Latoria McGuire (Source: Decatur Police Department)
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