Oakland: phone store, bank robbery.

OAKLAND – A Chinatown phone store and a Lakeshore District bank were robbed within an hour of each other on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

No one was injured in the two flights and police do not believe the two are linked at this time.

The Chinatown theft occurred around 2:45 p.m. Wednesday at the AT&T store, 388 Ninth St. It was the most recent in a spate of crimes in the area, which included muggings and other thefts.

Two men entered the store and handed an employee a note saying it was a theft, authorities said. Authorities did not say whether any weapons were seen. The employee gave the men an undisclosed amount of phones and cash and they fled on foot in an unknown direction.

One of the suspects was described as Black, around 45, 5ft 7in, 180lb, wearing a gray hoodie and black pants.

At around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, a man walked into the Bank of the West branch, 3400 Lakeshore Ave. and gave a cashier a note demanding money, authorities said. No weapons were seen.

The cashier gave the man an undisclosed sum of money and he fled on foot. The thief was described as being black, about 25 years old and weighing about 5ft 5 and 125 pounds. He was wearing a blue fisherman’s cap, a blue surgical mask, a gray hooded sweatshirt and a red shirt.

Police are trying to determine if the same suspect was responsible for the robbery of a Bank of the West branch on Mountain Boulevard in the Montclair neighborhood on March 2.

Check back for updates.