Police have identified a suspect in the robbery of the Ocean State Market on Dyer Avenue in Cranston earlier this week.
Montrell Hopper, 19, of Providence, is considered armed and dangerous, according to updated information on the Rhode Island Most Wanted website. He is currently wanted on two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of use of a firearm while committing a crime of violence and not possessing a license required to carry a pistol. He is also wanted by the Providence Police Department on first-degree robbery charges.
Cranston Police Maj. Robert Ryan said shortly before 2:30 p.m. March 25, Cranston officers responded to the scene and learned a man carrying a black handgun had entered the store, vaulted over the counter and taken cigarettes, a laptop computer and an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect also unsuccessfully attempted to steal a customer’s cell phone. No one was injured.
The suspect was described as a black male standing approximately 5 feet, 8 inches tall with a thin build. The man wore blue jeans, a blue hooded sweatshirt and a mask covering his face, and carried a red sling pack.
The suspect was last seen running toward Farmington Avenue and behind a house at the intersection of Farmington and Dyer avenues.
A photo of Hopper, and images of the suspect taken from the store’s video surveillance system, have been posted online via Rhode Island’s Most Wanted. Cranston Detectives Lee Sohn and David Tirrell are leading the investigation.