COLUMBIA—A man robbed a 26-year-old clerk at gunpoint at Check Please in north Columbia on Wednesday morning, said Columbia Police Sgt. Lloyd Simons.
At about 9:20 a.m., Columbia police responded to several calls about the robbery at 1301 Vandiver Drive. The clerk told police the subject entered the store, displayed a handgun and jumped over the counter. The man then demanded money and hit her with the gun, Simons said.
The clerk told police the man took an undisclosed amount of money and tried to leave the store, where he was met by a nearby businessman who heard the clerk’s screams and went to help, Simons said.
The businessman told police the man pointed the gun at him, and another witness saw the man run away and scale a wooden retaining wall to the west of the store, Simons said. As the man scaled a high retaining wall, Simons said he dropped the bag containing the money and ran. When police arrived, witnesses pointed out the bag of money lying at the base of the wall, Simons said.
The man was last seen traveling west on Vandiver Drive in a late 1980s or early 1990s four-door maroon car with a partial license plate of 6BP.
Simons said the clerk was frightened, but was otherwise OK.
At about 9:45 a.m., an officer stopped a car that matched the description of the suspect’s car traveling south on Range Line Street near Vandiver Drive, and Simons said the driver matched the description of the suspect. After stopping the car, police determined there was not enough evidence to prove the driver was connected to the incident, Simons said.
As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, Simons said police had not arrested anyone in connection with the robbery. The case has been turned over to the Major Crimes Unit of the Columbia Police Department. Anyone with any information should call CrimeStoppers at 875-8477.