Jan 18, 2016 2 min read

A customer apparently thwarted a robbery at a Washington convenience store Saturday night when he entered the store and told the culprit to remove the hood he was wearing on his head, prompting him to run from the store with only a soft drink and pack of cigarettes.

Washington police were called about 10:25 p.m. to the 7-Eleven, 375 W. Chestnut St. The cashier told them a thin man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with the hood up entered the store and went to the cooler, getting out a root beer.

He waited for a customer to leave and set the soft drink on the counter. He then asked the cashier for a pack of Newport cigarettes.

The clerk told police she got the cigarettes, and as she turned around to give the pack to him, she saw that he had a knife. The robber demanded she open the safe and give him the money inside it. He threatened to stab her if she did not comply. The cashier told the robber that she did not know how to open the safe.

A customer then entered the store and told the robber to take the hood off, but the suspect fled. He ran north through the parking lot in the direction of Washington Avenue.

Police searched the immediate area but were not able to find him. Surveillance shows him coming from a parking lot across the street to the store.

He is described as white, about 5 feet, 5 inches to 5 feet, 9 inches tall with a thin build and scruffy facial hair.