A 37-year-old Newcastle, Indiana man was arrested in Bloomington around 3:50 a.m. Thursday for robbing a convenience store, according to the Bloomington Police Department.
The 52-year-old man working as a clerk at the Circle K gas station in the 500 block of West Kirkwood told police a man entered the store with blood running down his face. He asked if the man was ok, but the man then reached into his sweatshirt pocket removed a large rock, and threw it at the clerk’s head.
“The clerk was able to avoid being hit by the rock, but reported that the suspect then threw 3-5 more rocks at him, one of which struck the victim in the lower leg and resulted in a complaint of pain. Investigating officers did locate several rocks in the area that the clerk reported he was in when the rocks were thrown at him. At one point, the clerk reported that he jumped onto the counter and the suspect punched him in his left cheek, resulting in an abrasion. The clerk said he then hit the suspect back as he was attempting to force the suspect out of the store. As the suspect was eventually walking towards the front door of the store, he stopped, returned to the counter, and reportedly grabbed a box containing 50 Bic lighters, which he fled the store with,” according to the BPD.
A few minutes later officers found a man matching the robbery suspect’s description in the 500 block of South College Avenue. The man was identified by the clerk, and was taken into custody, according to BPD. The suspect was charged with robbery, which is a level 3 felony.