This is a surveillance video image of the suspect in Friday's armed robbery at Airport Heights Market in North Bend. Contributed Photo

North Bend police are investigating an armed robbery of a convenience store that closely mirrored a holdup at a Coos Bay thrift store earlier this week.

Officers responded to Airport Heights Market, 2750 Virginia Ave., at about 4 p.m. Friday after receiving a report of a robbery.

An employee was alone in the store when a man entered, brandished a knife, demanded money and then fled with an undisclosed amount of cash, a press release said.

Officers from both North Bend and Coos Bay police departments searched the area to no avail.

The employee told police the suspect was about six feet tall, had dark brown hair and a medium build. He was spotted by a video surveillance camera wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses and a camouflage-colored baseball cap.

Coos Bay police responded to a similar robbery at Quiet Circle Thrift Store on Wednesday. A brown-haired suspect wearing a gray sweatshirt threatened employees with a knife, and took off with money, a purse and clothes.

Officers from the two departments consider the cases related.

“We do believe this to be the same person,” said North Bend Officer Jon Bohanan.