APOLLO BEACH, Fla. — A man robbed a Publix grocery store and threatened to shoot an employee if he didn't comply – despite never actually showing a weapon, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.
Investigators say it happened just after 5 p.m. Saturday at the Publix on U.S. Highway 41 in Apollo Beach.
According to deputies, the man approached a store clerk and demanded money. Authorities say he managed to get an unknown amount of cash from the register before driving away in an older model gray car, possibly a Toyota Camry. That car has "heavy damage" to its rear bumper, according to law enforcement.
“The boldness of this suspect is alarming, and we want to find him immediately,” Sheriff Chad Chronister wrote in a statement. “Anyone who would rob a busy grocery store in broad daylight, putting an employee in fear for his life, does not need to be walking our streets freely."
He's described as a white man, about 6-feet-tall and roughly 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white long-sleeve shirt, tan baseball hat, blue jeans and a blue face covering.
Not long after the robbery, somebody matching the description of the man got out of what's believed to be the same car at a Shell station in Palmetto. Detectives now believe the man lives in the Manatee County area.
Anyone who recognizes the man should call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200.
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