Armed robber forces Indian River County store employees into freezer room, still at-large

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Detectives are looking for an armed robber who took cash from a store and ordered employees into a freezer room before he fled Friday afternoon.

The crime was reported at the EZ Food Mart in the 2000 block of U.S. 1 near Highland Drive, just north of the St. Lucie County line. The Indian River County Sheriff's Office said the armed robber struck just before 2 p.m.

The man wore shorts, a camouflaged hooded sweatshirt and a mask, detectives said. As of noon Saturday, the suspect remained at-large.

Brandishing a firearm, he threatened to kill the employees and forced them into the freezer room, according to the report.

More crime news: Gov. DeSantis signs bill that allows harsher penalties for out-of-county criminals

Arson investigation: 'Nothing suspicious' found so far in laundry, consignment shops fire, state inspectors say

Anyone with information about the armed robbery can call the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office at 772-569-6700 or Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at (800) 273-TIPS (8477).

Lamaur Stancil is the Treasure Coast regional economy reporter covering business and industries, including retail, tourism and hospitality. Contact him at 321-987-7179 or lamaur.stancil@tcpalm.com and follow him at Lamaur Stancil on Facebook and @TCPalmLStancil on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida robbery suspect forces store clerks into freezer