Crown Discount Tobacco, a 24-hour convenience store at the corner of Highway 9 and Moffat Drive, was the scene of an armed robbery during the wee hours of the morning Friday, Aug. 31.
According to Detective John James of the Cheraw Police Department, the suspects held the cashier and three customers at gunpoint; getting away on foot with approximately $900 in cash, along with other merchandise. Fortunately, James said, no one was injured.
The suspects are described as three black males, dressed mostly in black, police said. One had a sawed off shotgun and the other a handgun.
According the cashier on duty, who wished to remain anonymous, “They came in … from the car wash side, dressed in black and red, with red bandannas covering their faces.” The cashier said everything happened so quickly. He said he heard the cock of the sawed off shotgun before he actually turned around to see it pointed directly at him. He was told to “turn and face the window.”
The canine unit was called to track the trio. Apparently, said James, the suspects climbed the fence of the Intermediate School as the dogs followed their trail through the school yard, past West Pine Apartments, and down a path that ends on West Market Street.
“That’s where the dogs lost the scent of the suspects,” he said, possibly because that’s where they could have gotten into a car.
James said they have video from inside the store and are working on enhancing those images. They also have fingerprints that have been sent to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Cheraw Police Department at 843-537-7868.
Staff Writer Karen Kissiah can be reached by calling 843-537-5261, or by email at kkissiah@heartlandpublications.com.
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