Gunman robs downtown Redmond convenience store

(Update: Store owner tells what happened)

A masked gunman held up a downtown Redmond convenience store as an employee was opening up for the day early Saturday morning and got away, despite a police search of the area, police said.

Police were dispatched just before 6 a.m. to Moe’s Food Mart on Southwest Fifth Street to a robbery that had just occurred, Lt. Jesse Petersen said.

The female employee called police, who arrived within a minute of being notified, Petersen said. They learned the suspect had run away and was last seen heading east behind the store.

Officers learned from the store worker that the man had brandished a handgun and demanded money. He was described as being about 6-foot-2, with a thin build, wearing blue jeans, a black hooded sweatshirt, gloves and tennis shoes. A black bandana partially covered his face, Petersen said.

The victim was not physically injured.

Other police agencies responded to assist, while both Redmond and Bend police brought in K-9 teams to help search for the suspect.

The owner of the store, Moe Aria, told NewsChannel 21 he was shocked and said his employee told him the gunman was at the door when she unlocked the store.

“Somebody followed her to the store and she opened the store, and he told her, ‘I don’t want to hurt you, but whatever I want, give it to me,'” Aria said. “The guy knew where all the money is and everything, so the cashier handed it to him — whatever he asked for.”

It was the second robbery of the downtown Redmond convenience store in just over two years. In January 2016, a shotgun-wielding robber held up Moe’s on a late Sunday afternoon and eluded capture.

But just one day later, Mitchell Yates, 22, surrendered to jail officials and was arrested on robbery and other charges, thanks to tips to NewsChannel 21’s Crime Stoppers program.

Police are asking anyone with information about Saturday robbery to contact police through the Deschutes County non-emergency dispatch at 541-693-6911. You can also call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-877-876-TIPS. You can remain anonymous, and you could be eligible for a cash reward.

Petersen thanked Oregon State Police, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Bend Police Department for their help in the investigation.