Police are searching for the man who robbed two Ceres businesses within an hour of each other on Tuesday morning.

At 2:34 a.m. officers were dispatched to the 7-Eleven store at 1305 Herndon Road where a holdup occurred and the suspect fled. The store clerk said a man came into the business wearing a mask and had his hands wrapped in T-shirt. The suspect went behind the counter and tried to open the register and take the money. The clerk hit the alarm and told the suspect the police were on the way. He left without taking any money.

A similar robbery occurred at the Subway at 1515 Mitchell Road where a masked suspect held an orange handled knife and demanded cash. During the 3:33 a.m. robbery attempt, the clerk told the suspect to get the money himself. He never took the money but remained in the business for approximately 3 minutes. The suspect fled in an older model white Toyota Camry, with silver wheels and tinted rear windows. Police believed he is the same man who attempted to hold up 7-Eleven.

The suspect was described as a skinny Asian male, 5-foot-10, in his early 20's, wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt with the hood over his head, black/white skull mask covering his face below the eyes, and gray jeans. The weapon was a large knife with an orange handle, 8 to 12 inches long. The male appeared to be scared and nervous and was rambling about helping him.

Anyone with information regarding the robbery attempts is urged to call Detective Sgt. Danny Vierra at 538-5672.