The latest incident at the store, located between Easley and Powdersville, happened just before 1 a.m. Sunday morning.
A clerk at the store told police he had just walked behind the counter to begin counting cigarettes when a man entered the store, walked behind the counter and pointed what appeared to be a small handgun in his direction, the incident report stated.
The man then said, “Give me the money,” and then asked for the money from the store’s other cash register, according to the report.
The clerk said he gave the man the money from the first register and was told to hurry up as he tried to unlock the second register, the report stated.
After the clerk handed the man the money from the second register, he said the man ran out the front door and began running to the left, according to the report.
About 15 to 20 minutes before the robbery, a man fitting the man’s description went into the store dressed in black and appeared to be “casing” the premises, the clerk reported.
The man bought a cigar and left, the clerk told police.
The clerk said that while reviewing the surveillance video, it appeared that the man pumped gas into what may have been a white Jeep Cherokee before leaving the parking lot toward the rear of the building, the report stated.
Police took the receipt from the pump where the white vehicle had been sitting, as well as CD copies of the surveillance tapes from the alleged “casing” and robbery as evidence.
Officers said that because the gas was paid for at the pump, the receipt did not include a name.
The man who entered the store prior to the robbery was described as a black male, wearing a black t-shirt, black pants, and grey and black shoes. He also had dread locks in his air.
The man is estimated to be between 25 and 30 years old.
The suspect in the robbery was described as a black male wearing a black t-shirt with red sleeves (possibly an undershirt), black or possibly blue pants, a dark-colored hat and a garment covering half his face.
He is believed to be in his late 20s.
A similar incident was also reported at the store in January.
According to police reports, a man in his mid-20s entered the store just before midnight on Monday, January 19, pointed a pistol at the clerk’s head and shouted, “Give me the money.”
In the January robbery, the clerk said he was forced to hand over the money from the cash register and was ordered to open the safe but couldn’t because of a time delay, the report stated.
The suspect then demanded the clerk’s wallet, the report stated.
The clerk told the man he did not have a wallet, so the suspect then asked for Newport cigarettes, according to the report.
The clerk gave the man three cartons, and at that point, the man noticed the second register and demanded that it be opened, the report stated.
According to the report, the man panicked when another vehicle pulled up, and he left through the back entrance of the store.
He was last seen headed toward Easley Bridge Road, the report stated.
The man in the January robbery was described as being a black man, around 6 feet tall, between 190 and 200 pounds, and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black beanie hat, blue jeans, black and white tennis shoes and black gloves at the time of the incident.
As of press time, no one has been arrested in connection with either incident, according to Assistant Sheriff Tim Morgan.
Morgan said investigators were looking for any similarities in the two cases as well as making sure of the validity of the reports.
Anyone with information about the two incidents should call the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office at (864) 898-5500.
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