Man hides in store till closing time, then robs clerk and gets away

The Dollar General Store in Caruthers was robbed by an armed man who hid in the back of the business until closing time, then surprised a clerk as she cleaned up for the night, ordering her and another employee to fill a bag with cash before he got away.

The crime occurred late Saturday night, said Tony Botti of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. The man entered the store at 13428 S. Henderson Road around 9:50 p.m. and hid in a storage room at the back of the business. It closed 10 minutes later, and the two clerks began cleaning up.

Botti said the man came out from hiding and waited behind some shelves for one of the clerks to walk by. He jumped out and pointed a gun at the woman. He ordered her and the other clerk to fill a bag with an undisclosed amount of cash from the register and safe. One of the clerks then put the bag outside the front door, as ordered by the suspect. That allowed him to pick it up and escape. Though shaken up, the clerks were physically unharmed.

The suspect wore a black-and-gray jacket with blue jeans. He put the jacket’s hood over his head and covered his face so the employees and surveillance cameras could not get a good look at him.

Anyone who knows about this crime should call Detective Eddie Cantu, 559-600-8390. Tips can be made anonymously, and may be eligible for a $1,000 cash reward.

This story was originally published March 14, 2017 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Man hides in store till closing time, then robs clerk and gets away."