Armed Man Robs Cash Advance Store, Ties Up Clerk After Application Denied [VIDEO]
WATERFORD (WWJ) - Police are searching for the man who tied up a clerk and robbed an Oakland County cash advance store days before Christmas.
The incident happened around 12:35 p.m. last Tuesday at the Advance America store in the 4300 block of Highland, near Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford.
Police responded to a robbery call at the store and found a woman, the only employee working at the time, behind the counter with her hands and feet bound together with zip-ties.
The woman told police she was tied up by a black male who first entered the store around 11:30 a.m. requesting a loan application. The man left the store and returned about 20 minutes later with an incomplete application and a bank statement, police said.
The woman allegedly told the man he needed to complete the application before it could be processed, and he left the business a second time. When the man returned to the store for a third time, the woman told him he would not be eligible for an advance at that time, police said.
The man then allegedly reached over the counter, grabbed the victim by the hair and pointed a black pistol at her. The woman told police the man demanded money from the till before forcing her into a back room where he bound her hands and feet.
Police said the man left the store, but quickly returned and removed the cord from the phone at the woman's work station. He then fled the scene in a burgundy-colored sedan.
The suspect is described as an older black male, approximately 5'10'' tall and 170 lbs. At the time, he was wearing a black hooded jacket, dark colored pants and black shoes. The victim notably told police the suspect had very large feet.
Anyone with information on the suspect or the incident is urged to contact police at 248-674-2677 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.