FIRCREST, Wash. — Fircrest Police are trying to identify two suspects responsible for a strong-arm robbery that left a clerk with an injured hand.
The suspects entered the OMG Food Mart in the 4000 block of S. Orchard St. in Fircrest at 2:45 p.m. Monday, October 30th, walked around the business and talked to the clerk for several minutes before one of them in a charcoal gray Nike baseball cap asked for several packages of e-cigarette cartridges.
“He wants four of them so the clerk pulls out the cigarette cartridges and properly asks the guy for ID. The suspect tells his friend ‘Go and get my ID out of the car.’ The clerk’s still holding the cigarette cartridges so all of a sudden, the suspect lunges over the counter and grabs the clerk’s hand and a wrestling match ensues,” said Fircrest Police Chief John Cheesman.
They struggled for possession of the cartridges, knocking over a display case and injuring the clerk’s hand. The suspect was able to grab two of the cartridges and then ran out of the store.
Alex Elwardi opened OMG Food Mart 18 months ago.
“We are here to do business. We are here to help the community and we are part of the community and those kids, I would see them like my kids. We would like to try to teach them a lesson not to do something like this at a young age because sometimes things like this develop and become something more serious,” said Elwardi.
The suspects are described as white males in their teens, both 160 to 170 pounds, 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8.
Missing Attachment Missing Attachment Missing Attachment“We want to capture these guys before they terrorize someone else,” said Cheesman.
Crime Stoppers of Tacoma\Pierce County is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest and charges. This is one of the Pierce County cases being featured this weekend on Washington’s Most Wanted airing Saturday at 10 p.m. on JOEtv and at midnight on Q13 FOX.