Woodstock Police: Clerk tried to take gun from robbery suspect

Police are searching for a robbery suspect that pulled a gun on a convenience store clerk.

The robbery happened Monday evening in Woodstock at an Exxon gas station just off Highway I-59. The suspect entered the store just before closing time, which is at 11 p.m.

In surveillance video pulled from the gas station it looks like the man in the video is just waiting to check out. But seconds later he pulls out a gun from his pants pocket and points it in the clerks face.

"He was going to buy a couple of cigars. When the clerk opened the cash register he pulled out the gun stuck it to his head and demanded the money," said Woodstock Police Chief L.C. Price.

Price said the clerk made a gutsy move: he tried to grab the gun out of the suspect's hand. He was unsuccessful and in the video it looked like the suspect started to leave. But he came back, still pointing the gun at the clerk and took hundreds of dollars from the register.

"I think he just scoped the area out trying to find a little small store that no customers were really in late at night," said Price.

Price said he doesn't think the Exxon gas station was his first pick.

"He went over across the interstate where the Citgo is. He asked the old man whether they were closed he said ya, so I guess he was just looking for a place to rob," said Price.

Darlene Edmonds and her husband watched the surveillance video and both say they would have done the same thing as the clerk.

"If this was my store I would definitely probably have done the same thing he did. You know, you gotta fight for what you have," said Edmonds.

Price said while the clerk walked away unharmed, fighting back is not the way to react. Police don't think the suspect is from the Woodstock area. There was a getaway driver however, they don't have a description of that person.

If you have any information you're asked to contact Woodstock Police at 205-938-9790.

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