Newport Market Armed Robber Flees With Cash

The search continued Monday for a man who wore a hooded sweatshirt with a red bandana over his face and used a handgun to hold up the Newport Avenue Market on Bend’s Westside Sunday night, then eluded police who converged on the area to search for him.

The armed robbery, which occurred around 9:30 p.m., brought numerous police officers to the area who quickly set up a perimeter to try to find the gunman, who was reportedly last seen walking west down an alley of NW 12th Street.

A store employee was in the customer service area when the suspect entered the store and demanded money, brandishing a handgun, said Officer Elizabeth Lawrence. He took an undisclosed amount of money and fled on foot.

“When we watched the security video, we can see him standing outside the door looking in here and he moves around outside the door for a while,” said Assistant Manager Joe Anzaldo. “Then he comes inside right up to the customer service counter, where my evening manager was getting into the safe — he told him, ‘Give me all your money.’ The manager asked if he was kidding and he said he wasn’t and had a gun in his hand.”

The gunman grabbed the cash and took off down an alley near 12th Street, but Anzaldo said the thief didn’t get away with much.

“It just makes you wonder what causes somebody to go to that point — and for very little money, he didn’t get much — it’s not like he was at Fort Knox holding the place down,” Anzaldo said.

The suspect was described as a white male adult, about 5-foot-7 to 5-9 and 190 pounds, with brown hair. He was wearing blue jeans and a charcoal gray zipper hooded sweatshirt with “Hurley” printed in black letters across the chest and a red bandana tied across his face.

Police have declined to quickly release any security camera video or images as they follow up on leads in the case.

A perimeter was quickly set around the store and a Bend police K-9 conducted a search, while officers also contacted several people in the area. But Lawrence said in an overnight release that a suspect had not been identified or located,

The store worker was unhurt, Lawrence said.

The gun was described in initial reports as a possible revolver, possibly 9 mm, possibly an old German-style handgun with a slim barrel. He also was said to be carrying a white plastic grocery bag.

Anyone with information that could help was urged to contact Bend police at (541) 693-6911. You can also contact the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-877-876-TIPS, or use the form on the Crime Stoppers page at KTVZ.COM. You can remain anonymous, and you could receive a cash reward.