WEST SIDE, W.Va. — The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department is looking for a man who robbed a convenience store clerk at knife point. It happened Friday morning in the parking lot of the 7-Eleven on West Main St. just outside of St. Albans.
The manager was leaving around 9 a.m. and got in his car to take the night deposit to the bank.
“The suspect was hiding in the back (of the car), brandished a knife, made some verbal threats and then forced the driver to drive out Coal River Road and drop him off at an isolated area,” according to Captain Sean Crosier.
Crosier said the man, who was wearing a black and green ski mask, hit the employee with his fist several times during the drive but never used the knife. So far there are no suspects. However, Crosier said the robbery was obviously well planned out.
“There’s no doubt the suspect knew a little bit about the store and the routine of the employees, as well as even what cars and vehicles they might be driving and who makes the deposit,” he explained.
Crosier stressed this was not your typical crime.
“The suspect would obviously be very brazen or desperate because daytime robberies don’t happen that often simply because of the ease they can be identified.”
Crosier is confident the crime all came down to one thing.
“We have very little doubt that there’s some sort of drug that is an underlying factor that forced this suspect to commit this day time robbery,” he said.
The employee was not seriously injured in the incident.