HOWELL – Police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a man who robbed the Shoe Palace department store, 6951 Route 9 north, on the evening of Nov. 7.
Police said the incident began at 6 p.m. when a black man entered the store, brandished a black handgun, ordered the occupants of the store to the ground and demanded that the clerk behind the counter hand over the money in the register.
The store clerk complied and the suspect fled the store on foot, without further incident, across the highway, westbound toward Ford Road.
Police said the suspect pointed the handgun at the clerk during the robbery. There were employees and customers, including children, in the store at the time of the incident.
The man is described as being about 6 feet tall, with a muscular build. He was wearing a black North Face sweatshirt and black flannel-style pants.
Police said surveillance footage recovered from the area shows the suspect walk to the Shoe Palace from an adjacent commercial lot. Police said he was observed by store employees walking back and forth multiple times before he entered the store.
Patrol officers responded, established an area perimeter with the assistance of a K-9 unit, but were unable to locate the suspect in the area. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Detective Anthony Romano at 732-938-4575, ext. 2879.
