Horry County police investigating convenience store armed robbery; clerk tied up

Horry County police are investigating after a Scotchman convenience store worker was robbed at gunpoint of cash, cigars, and cigarettes then tied up before the masked suspect fled.

Officers were called about 3 a.m. Friday to the Scotchman store on Lake Arrowhead Road where a 54-year-old clerk reported the incident, police said.

The victim said he was next to the register restocking merchandise when the suspect, who was wearing a gray mask hiding the lower part of his face, came up and said, “This is a hold up,” and pulled out a silver revolver, according to a police report.

The suspect then directed the victim behind the store counter and demanded money from the registers, as well as cash from the victim’s wallet and his cellphone, authorities said.

The suspect also took an unknown amount of Black & Mild cigars and six boxes of Newport 100 cigarettes, police said.

The suspect walked the victim to the back office and had him lie down in the floor, and the suspect tied his hands behind his back with a computer mouse cord from a nearby computer, according to the report.

Throughout the robbery, the suspect was telling the victim to hurry up and threatened to shoot him, but the victim was unharmed during the robbery.

The victim said he got up to call 911 after he heard the suspect leave.

Anyone with information can call the Horry County police tip line at 843-915-8477.

This story was originally published January 8, 2016 at 1:35 PM with the headline "Horry County police investigating convenience store armed robbery; clerk tied up."