Police say a second woman was cut on the neck during a robbery this week near Eastern Market.

The first incident happened on Thursday, May 15 near the intersection of 9th and C streets SE. A person of interest in that case can be seen in the above video.

The second incident occurred last night in the 200 block of 8th Street SE. That victim told police she was “approached by a suspect who grabbed her, brandished a knife and announced a robbery. During the robbery, the victim was cut on the side of her neck.” The suspect is described as a black male “approximately 5’7” to 5’8” in height with a muscular build, balding head, and was wearing a light colored long sleeve shirt and blue jeans.”

“The tactics in both cases are similar, however we have not confirmed that the same individual is responsible for both offenses,” First District Cmdr. Jeff Brown wrote to an MPD listserv. “The detectives are diligently working to ascertain if there is in fact a correlation. In the interim, we have allocated additional resources to this area for increased visibility and security. As more details become available regarding the progress of the case(s) I will provide them via this venue.”

Councilmember Tommy Wells, who represents Ward 6, said he will schedule a public meeting.