Walla Walla gunman takes beer, but not cash, from store
By Paula Horton, Herald staff writer
A masked gunman robbed a Walla Walla convenience store early Friday but took just two 12-packs of beer, police said.
The suspect made no demands for cash.
The robbery occurred at 1 a.m. at the Zip Zone at 110 N. Ninth Ave., said Walla Walla police Officer Tim Bennett.
The suspect walked into the store wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and went straight back to the cooler, where he took out two packs of beer, Bennett said.
When the suspect turned and walked back toward the entrance, the clerk saw he was holding a handgun and did not attempt to stop him, Bennett said.
The suspect, who apparently was just after beer, then walked out of the store, he said.
Several witnesses saw the suspect and a second suspect leave the scene in a gold sedan, Bennett said. A sheriff's deputy saw a similar vehicle parked several blocks away and as the deputy got closer, several known gang members took off, Bennett said.
They left behind open containers of the same brand of beer stolen during the robbery, he said.
The robbery is under investigation by the department's special teams unit.
I'm dumbfounded. Not that thievery is right, but...if you are going to out and expose yourself to the legal risks involved with using a firearm to rob a store...why wouldn't you ROB the store? The only thing I can think is that people are more likely to resist if you start talking cash. I for one can't see myself risking a gunfight over two 12-packs of beer.
I just wish I knew what they were drinking...I'm guessing it's not the Sam Adams Cherry Wheat I stopped and bought to go with my spaghetti for dinner tonight.
I wonder what makes it robbery as opposed to shoplifting. The mere presence of the gun? It doesn't sound as though he directly threatened the clerk.
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