Man pulls rifle on customer, employee at Lewiston Shell station

Summary

Man in camouflage asks for $20, then leaves gas station and laundromat complex after employee refuses to give him the money; police asking witnesses to come forward.

Story Published: Oct 13, 2008 at 8:48 PM PST

Story Updated: Nov 21, 2008 at 2:49 AM PST

LEWISTON - Police are looking for a man security video shows threatening two people with a rifle Sunday night.

It happened at about 10:00 p.m. at the Southway Shell gas station in Lewiston.

The video shows the suspect wearing a full suit of military-style camouflage, coming in to the laundromat, and pointing a gun at a woman inside.

Store manager Barbara Ross said he then did the same to the clerk inside the convenience store.

"Scotty, our graveyard person, asked him, 'Is this gun real?'," said Ross. "The robber had some kind of assault rifle with him. He asked Scotty for $20 and Scotty said, 'Are you going to shoot me if I don't give you the money' and the robber said, 'No.' Scotty said, 'Well I don't want to give you the money.' Then the robber left."

Ross said neither person inside the store seemed threatened at first, questioning whether or not the gun was real.

According to police, it was described as a semi-automatic rifle with a wooden stock and sling with a high capacity magazine inserted in the rifle.

The would-be robber didn't asked for anything besides the $20 from the clerk.

"Nothing was taken, the clerk handled it very well," said Ross. "He didn't seem too emotional until afterwards."

Police are now looking for the suspect, who, in the surveillance video, could be seen driving away in a full-size pickup.

He is a white male around six feet to six-foot-two, wearing military-style green camouflage and a blue bandanna over his face.

You can call LPD or the crime tip hotline at 748-2746 if you have any information about this suspect.

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