LAWRENCE - A masked gunman stormed into Estrella Market and Restaurant last night and robbed two cashiers. But he left behind a crucial piece of evidence: the gun used to hold up the store, police said.
The armed robber burst into the market at 155 Arlington St. about 6 p.m. and yelled, "This is a robbery. Give me all your money," according to a police report.
The robber pointed the semiautomatic pistol at two women sitting behind the cash register.
When he tried to open the register, one of the women tried to block him. The robber pushed her into the other clerk, who fell to the ground and hurt her back, police said.
But the women tried to stop the robber again.
As he ripped out the register drawer and started helping himself to the cash, the women started screaming, "We're getting robbed," according to the report by Detective Maurice Aguilar.
Their screams captured the attention of customers sitting in the restaurant section of the business.
"Within seconds, patrons began to enter the market from the adjacent room and cornered the subject," Aguilar wrote.
The robber, who had been stuffing cash into his jacket, jumped over the counter. As he fled, he dropped his gun and just left it there, police said.
Police said the robber was wearing gloves, a face mask, a baseball cap and a gray sweater.
A getaway car, a black vehicle with Massachusetts license plates, was waiting. He jumped in and the car sped away, heading north on Chelmsford Street toward Methuen.
Police recovered the handgun, which was not loaded, and a surveillance tape from the store.
"We have the tape and we'll be looking at that," police Chief John Romero said.
The handgun will be checked for DNA that can be used as evidence, he added.
It was unclear how much money was stolen. No one at the store was available for comment last night.
ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ
Join the discussion. To comment on stories and see what others are saying, log on to eagletribune.com.
