BRUNSWICK COUNTY, Va. -- Sheriff's investigators are looking for a man who robbed a busy truck stop in Brunswick County Saturday morning.
There were more than a dozen customers and two clerks in the Davis Truck Stop when the suspect ran in, demanding everyone to get on the floor and for the clerks to give him the money.
The sheriff says the suspect made sure everyone believed he had a gun and as soon as he walked in the store, he made his intentions known.
"He's yelling throughout the store, you can see in the video, people are scrambling, all throughout the store, trying to run away from him," said Brunswick County Sheriff Brian Roberts.
Roberts said that the suspect turned to the clerks demanding money and then he turned back to the customers, "telling the people in the store, to get on the floor."
One customer makes it outside and runs more than two hundred yards to the motel next door, where they locked their doors.
Meanwhile, inside the truck stop, Roberts said that the suspect approached the first counter, started yelling at the clerk, goes to the next clerk, throws some stuff out of the way that was in the aisle, and demands to get the money."
At one point he turned back again to the frightened customers.
"It's a traumatic situation, here you are at 5:30 in the morning, traveling on mother's day weekend, and you walk into a truck stop, that's got dozens of people in it, and an armed robbery takes place," Roberts explained.
What's strange about the incident is the two-hour time frame before the incident.
"At 3:30, we can see the person came across the bridge, he did not get off this exit ramp and come into the parking lot and circle around and park under the light," Robert said.
The suspect sits there for two hours and then gets out of his car to rob the truck stop.
"He actually gets the money, drops the money on the ground, scrambles to pick that up, goes back to the next clerk, she can't get the register open immediately, and is able to, he gets the money and leaves," Roberts said.
Those who live nearby were surprised by the bold move at the busy truck stop on Interstate 85.
"Yeah, because there is a lot of traffic in and out of there all the time, you know, yeah, I was surprised to hear it," said Oliver Wells.
This is a very well known, family oriented truck stop that always has customers, no matter what time of the night.
Investigators say the suspect is a black male, wearing a sweat shirt, ball cap, blue jeans, and brown Timberland boots.
He was driving a dark colored sedan.
If you have any information about the robbery, call crime solvers at 434-848-2336.
