Local

911 call, surveillance video released in central Florida robbery spree

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Authorities have connected the same suspects to 10 hotel and restaurant robberies that have happened across central Florida in recent weeks.

Police said all of the robberies involve two or three men who are armed with guns, wearing masks and dressed in all black. The most recent robbery was at a Courtyard Marriott in Maitland Wednesday night.

The 911 call in the Marriott robbery was released Friday.

Caller: "I need the police. I was just, I was just robbed. There was two."

Dispatcher: "OK. What was the first one wearing?"

Clerk: "They were both wearing black. Everything black."

Dispatcher: "And what were they armed with?"

Clerk: "Um, two big guns."

Officials have also released surveillance video of two of the robberies -- a Homewood Inn in Lake Mary and a Homewood Suites in Orlando. Authorities believe the same men are responsible for those two, as well as nine other robberies.

The violent crimes have spanned from Polk County to Orlando and up to Seminole County. The first of the 10 robberies happened at a Ramada Plaza Resort on John Young Parkway on December 6.

In the most recent hotel robbery, the suspects walked into a Courtyard Marriott in Maitland and forced the clerk into a laundry room before stealing cash and credit cards.

Chris Martinez spent Christmas at the hotel and heard about the robbery after checking out Thursday morning.

"What's sad is the people who work here are great. I mean, we had great service," Martinez said.

Some of the other robberies included an Econo Lodge in Orlando, a Howard Johnson in Altamonte Springs and a Best Western in Orlando.

Anyone with information about the men or the robberies is asked to contact Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.