An armed man smashed his way into a West Bay liquor store with a concrete block, but ran away without taking anything in a failed robbery on Saturday night.
Witnesses heard what they believed was a gunshot during the attempted raid at Discount Liquors before the man fled on a bicycle.
Robert Hamaty, owner of Tortuga Liquors, which operates the store on Willie Farrington Drive, said security camera footage showed the man shatter the glass on a side entry door to the store.
The front door has a push-to-enter security mechanism which requires staff to authorize anyone to come inside.
Mr. Hamaty said the man was clearly seen carrying a firearm in the security footage. Staff had fled through the other door by the time he cleared the broken glass and entered the store.
“Thankfully he didn’t get anything and nobody was hurt,” said Mr. Hamaty.
He said a crowd gathered almost immediately outside the store and the man ran away through the broken side door without taking anything.
Police said in a statement that staff believe they heard a “loud explosion which sounded like a gunshot” as the man ran out of the store.
The suspect was dressed in a dark jacket with a hoodie covering his head. He wore dark colored gloves and black shoes and was about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, according to police.
Anyone with information can contact West Bay Police Station at 949-3999 or Crime Stoppers at 800-8477(TIPS).
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