Police looking for man who robbed Kings Mtn. convenience store

KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. — A local clerk followed a robber at her store and called 911, but he got away.

In surveillance video from the Circle P in Kings Mountain, you can see a man in a hooded sweatshirt put a beer on the counter. Then he walks behind the counter to try and rob the store.

The clerk then confronted the thief and yelled at him, saying “Get out of here!"

The 69-year-old clerk, who didn’t want to be identified, told Eyewitness News what happened next.

“He said, 'Get out of my way. I need some cash,’” she said.

She refused to move, but she said he pushed her out of the way and stole some money. The clerk grabbed the phone to call 911 and even chased him across the parking lot.

Now, she's questioning if that was a good idea.

“I'm glad he didn't hurt me,” she said. “He could have. I wasn't thinking about that at the time."

This wasn't the first time she's been robbed at work. A thief hit the same store last year at this time when she was behind the counter.

Police said they see a noticeable spike in robberies during the holidays, and that the thieves always prefer cash over actual items.

“They have to go sell those things. With this, they are going to get quick money,” said Detective KL Hamrick with the Kings Mountain Police Department.

Kings Mountain police put out a warning to merchants, saying that thieves are looking for cash, and they expect to find lots of it in registers, so don't make it that easy.

“Keep an eye on your money,” Hamrick said. “Change it out. Put it in your safes as much as possible.”

Police hope if would-be robbers realize there is not much money in the actual register, then they won't risk a fight to get it.

WSOC