Novelty store robbed at gunpoint Wednesday night

COLUMBIA — An armed man robbed the Bocomo Bay novelty store at 1122 Wilkes Boulevard late Wednesday night, police said.

A masked man entered the store around 11 p.m., pointed a gun at the clerk, demanded some money and ran once he got it, said Jessie Haden, public information officer for the Columbia Police Department. No shots were fired.

Haden said the suspect was around 5 feet 10 inches tall and wore jeans and a dark-colored sweatshirt or jacket. She said the department is reviewing surveillance footage to help identify the suspect.

The incident was the latest in a series of three robberies committed at Columbia businesses this week. The police don't have a link between the crimes, but the case will be assigned to the same investigators handling the other robberies just in case, Haden said.

"It's one of those things where very likely it could be the same guy," Haden said. "But as investigators, they have to be open-minded. It could be three different people."