Columbia's Hobby Lobby assistant manager held up at gunpoint

K-9 Officer Todd Alber and Lt. Carl Young discuss an armed robbery at the Hobby Lobby neat W. Worley Street on Wednesday in Columbia. At approximately 7 p.m., an assistant manager inside the store was robbed at gunpoint but escaped injury. The perpetrator fled the scene with an unknown amount of money and has not been apprehended.   ¦  ERIK HAUGSBY

COLUMBIA — When the last patrons of Hobby Lobby checked out their items Wednesday evening, they were quietly escorted past the crime scene tape blocking both entrances while the Columbia police searched the store.

At approximately 6:43 p.m. , Columbia Police Lt. Carl Young said an unidentified suspect held up the store's assistant manager at gunpoint and left with an unknown amount of cash. No injuries were reported.

Officers had to shut down the store early while they searched the inside for more than an hour. The suspect is still at large.