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Two men arrested for string of robberies in Virginia Beach

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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Two men were arrested Tuesday in connection with eight robberies in Virginia Beach.

On January 3 at 4:41 p.m., a black male entered the Cricket Wireless on South Independence Boulevard. The man pulled out a gun and demanded cash. The employee complied and the man left the store and got into a car. No injuries were reported.

A Virginia Beach Police officer identified the suspect vehicle, located the suspects and arrested them.

Police charged Brandon Ricardo Setzer, 22, with use of a firearm in commission of a felony and conspiracy to commit a felony and robbery.

Jesse Queshawn Bray, 22, is charged with eight counts of robbery, eight counts of use of firearm in commission of a felony, attempt to commit a non-capital offense, abduction, possession of a firearm by a convicted felony and conspiracy to commit a felony.

One employee said a co-worker was at the desk when the robbery happened.

“I heard the register door pop open and that`s when I come to the front a little bit and I could see there`s a guy right there. He was standing there with a gun talking about `you know what time it is, open the register’,” the employee said. “It was pretty scary.”

In recent weeks police released several surveillance photos from the incidents in hopes of catching the suspects involved in the string of robberies.

Now they’re working to find out if Bray and Setzer are connected to similar cases in other cities and if more people are involved.

December 23, police in Portsmouth say within 30 minutes a man tried to rob two cell phone stores. Police in Norfolk also tell News 3 they’ve responded to a number of similar robbery reports.

Both have contacted Virginia Beach police to see if there is a connection. News 3 is told police in Chesapeake and Hampton are also in contact.

Police say the charges stem from the following robberies: