HENRICO, Va. – A clerk at a store off of Nine Mile Road thwarted a daylight robbery on Sunday, Aug. 16.
At approximately 12:49 p.m., Henrico Police Officers responded to the 5200 block of Nine Mile Road to investigate a reported attempted robbery of a commercial business.
The clerk told police that a suspect entered the store, retrieved a package of toilet paper, and approached the checkout register. As the suspect lowered the toilet paper onto the counter, he displayed a handgun and demanded money.
The clerk realized that the weapon that the suspect was holding was actually a toy and grabbed the fake weapon from the suspect. The suspect then left the business.
Police described the suspect as a black male, roughly 25-32 years old, 5’8 to 6’ tall, with an average build.
The suspect had a goatee and was wearing a white t-shirt wrapped around the top portion of his head, a purple shirt, and jean shorts.
He was last seen getting into a gold, four-door sedan (possibly an older model Pontiac Grand Am) with a spoiler on the back.
“It is important to remind business owners and employees that they should never challenge a suspect who is attempting to rob them,” police said, in a release. “It is much safer to abide by the suspect’s demands than to attempt to overpower them.”
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call Henrico Police at (804) 501-5000 or Crime Stoppers at 780-1000. Citizens can also text Crime Stoppers at 274637, using the key word “ITip” followed by your tip. Both Crime Stoppers methods are anonymous.