Gunman Pistol-Whips 7-Eleven Staff During Evanston Armed Robbery

EVANSTON, IL — Police are searching for a man who beat two convenience store clerks and mugged a customer during an armed robbery Wednesday in Evanston. A masked robber pistol-whipped one staffer and struck the other before fleeing with cash from the register, a wallet stolen from a man who happened to be in the store at the time and a bunch of beverages and cigars the gunman grabbed from inside, according to police.

Around 1:45 a.m., the robber entered the 7-Eleven at 847 Dodge Ave. and brandished a black handgun at the three men in the store, police said. He told them to get on the floor and hit one of the employees in the back of his head with the gun before stealing his wallet.

The robber demanded the second employee open the register, but the staffer explained he did not have a key. The gunman struck him too, knocking him to the ground, police learned. He then dragged the staffer he had pistol-whipped, who was bleeding from the head at the time, over to the register and began pointing at it.

The gunman then began emptying the register, taking an estimated $2,000 from inside and putting it into a blue drawstring bag. He also stole an unknown amount of Swisher Sweet brand cigars, police reported.

The robber then confronted a customer and demanded cash from him. The bystander turned over his wallet, which was worth about $200, according to police reports.

Police said the gunman was described as between 18 and 40 years old, 5 feet and 9 or 10 inches tall, weighing between 140 and 170 pounds, and black with a slim build and an afro-style haircut. He was wearing a brownish-red hoodie, dark jeans and a white medical-style mask.

Investigators are reviewing security camera footage and continuing into interview witnesses, according to Cmdr. Ryan Glew.