ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Postal keys were stolen from a mail carrier in Roseville Tuesday afternoon during an armed robbery.
According to the Roseville Police Department, the robbery was reported around 2:15 p.m. in the area of the 1700 block of Mockingbird Street.
Police said a United States Postal Service employee was approached while on the job and delivering mail. The armed suspect demanded the victim's postal keys, eventually showing a gun and stealing the keys following a quick struggle with the mail carrier.
USPS Postal Inspector Matthew Norfleet said the worker was not injured.
“This is an unacceptable and terrifying experience for anybody who’s trying to do their job,” he said.
Norfleet called on people in the neighborhood to check their cameras for when the mail truck drove by their home, noting if they see anyone who's not from the neighborhood that it could be helpful information for investigators. He added that thieves sometimes follow carriers for a while looking for an opportunity to rob them.
"If I can ask as many people as possible just to help keep their eyes out, watch to make sure their carriers are safe in their neighborhoods. They’ll appreciate it. We’ll appreciate it. And hopefully, we can prevent some of these terrible crimes,” Norfleet said.
Police are calling on their community to be vigilant, noting that the stolen keys grant access to mailboxes in the 95747 area.
"Please, collect your mail every day. If you can’t be home, put your mail on hold, the postal service will be happy to hold your mail. If you’re expecting something particularly important, you can use track and confirm, you can use delivery confirmation, you can have it held at the post office and go pick it up while it’s there,” Norfleet said.
“Let’s try to keep the mail thieves from making any money off of this crime,” he added.
Norfleet said there's an up to $150,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.
Additionally, anyone who sees a mail theft in progress is asked to call 911 and not to confront the thieves.
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