LAKE FOREST : Robber Hits Store Worker, Steals Cash

A robber struck a local hardware store Tuesday night and escaped with an undisclosed amount of money after hitting an employee on the back of the neck, an Orange County sheriff’s spokesman said.

The Builders Emporium worker, who was not identified, suffered minor injuries and was not taken to a hospital, Lt. Dick Olson said.

“She felt something hard hit her, but she doesn’t know if it was a gun or not,” Olson said Wednesday. “She was treated on the scene.” Olson said he did not know what caused the bandit to slug the woman.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m., about half an hour after the Rockfield Avenue store closed, the store manager was confronted by a tall man wearing a green towel over his face and brandishing a small caliber handgun, Olson said.

The suspect herded a few employees left in the store into a back room and then forced the manager to give him the day’s cash receipts, Olson said. The gunman then fled out the back door and escaped on foot.

The suspect was described as having a medium build, standing about 6 feet, 1 inch tall. He was wearing gray clothing and wore gloves during the robbery. Olson said the man probably hid somewhere inside the store before closing. A Builders Emporium corporate official said that nobody else was injured during the robbery and that the exact amount of cash stolen was still being tallied.