LAS CRUCES, N.M. -- A man who police believe is responsible for two robberies that happened on the same day is being sought by authorities.

Around 3 a.m. Tuesday, a man asked the cashier at the Pic Quik store located at 825 Avenida de Mesilla to exchange coins for cash. As the clerk opened the register, the man tried grabbing cash but was stopped when the employee slammed the drawer on the man’s hand, said police.

Police said 15 minutes later, a man robbed the Walgreens store located at 2300 E. Lohman Ave. and, again, asked to exchange coins for cash. When the register opened, the suspect took an undisclosed amount of cash, but was struck in the face by the clerk several times before he ran out the front door.

Witnesses described the man to police as white, about 6 feet tall and weighing around 180 pounds. He wore baggy blue jeans and a black and gray windbreaker and may have been driving a black or gray pickup.

The man could have an injured face and an injured hand.

Anyone with information on the identity of the man is asked to call Las Cruces Crime Stoppers at 526-8000 or outside the Las Cruces area at 1-800-897-2746.