A man who is suspected of robbing a Lovers store at gunpoint in Issaquah last week may be the same man who committed the same crime at a Lovers in Redmond yesterday afternoon.

Issaquah Police investigators arrested the man for armed robbery yesterday, tracking him down at his Issaquah apartment — near the Lovers store — searching his car and finding cash and a handgun, possible evidence in the robbery.

The 42-year-old man is being held at the King County Jail for  investigation of first-degree armed robbery for the Sept. 20 holdup.

In Redmond yesterday, the Lovers store in the 15000 block of Northeast 24th Street was robbed at gunpoint at approximately 12:45 p.m.

Redmond Police reported the suspect entered the store, went behind the counter, displayed a small handgun and demanded cash. The suspect ordered the employee — who was the only other person in Lovers at the time — to go to the back of the store as he fled with an undisclosed amount of money. There were no injuries.

The suspect is described as male, Hispanic, in his mid-30s, about 5-foot-8, medium build and wearing a baseball hat, sunglasses, orange or red jacket, blue jeans and gloves. He also concealed the lower portion of his face with a red, fabric mask.

Jim Bove of the Redmond Police Department said there are many similarities in the two robberies, and they are still gathering evidence in the Redmond crime and working with Issaquah detectives. The robber in both cases had similar clothing, description, method of operation and hit the same store, but Redmond police need to find a definitive link before they can arrest someone, Bove added.

The case is under investigation by the Issaquah Police Department Detectives Division.