OAKLAND PARK, FLA. (WSVN) - A clerk at a convenience store in Oakland Park is speaking out after he was robbed at gunpoint by a masked man who fired off a round when he came into the business.
Surveillance video captured the gunman entering the Loren Food Mart near Northwest 38th Street and Powerline Road, just north of Oakland Park Boulevard, Nov. 21.
The subject is then seen discharging his weapon as he approached the register, at around 6 p.m. Smoke can be seen coming out of where he appears to be concealing the firearm.
This is the moment, the clerk said, that he knew it wasn’t some sort of prank.
“I thought it was a joke because I know a lot of people around here,” said the store clerk in the video, who asked not to be identified, in an exclusive interview with 7News.
Despite an attempt to conceal his face with a red bandanna, the gunman could be seen clearly in the video demanding cash from the register.
“All of a sudden he just came up,” said the victim’s co-worker. “He was waiting outside. He was waiting for a customer to leave, and then he put on his mask.”
“I’m thinking, ‘I don’t want to die the day before Thanksgiving,’ so give him what he wants,” said the victim.
In total, the clerk gave up around $600.
“It happened so fast, in a matter of minutes, just in and out,” he said.
Employees at the convenience store said they’ve been on edge ever since the robbery.
“It was really dangerous,” said the co-worker. “He could shoot the guy. He could shoot anybody, and it’s really fearful. You could not imagine how we’re working here right now. We are so scared, we are so scared to stay here. We cannot close this store. We cannot run the store.”
It’s the second time the store has been targeted in months.
“In a matter of minutes you can get shot,” the victim said. “I have a family, trying to make an honest living, and these people just keep robbing the store.”
The gunman is described to have last been wearing a black baseball cap with a black shirt underneath and a black long-sleeve Nike jacket.
Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies said nobody was hurt despite that shot being fired.
If you have any information on this armed robbery, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
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