by AMANDA WINTERS

Sequim Gazette

Law enforcement is searching for a man who robbed Hardy’s Market on Taylor Cutoff Road last night while armed with a semiautomatic pistol.

Ron Cameron, Clallam County Sheriff’s chief criminal deputy, said a man robbed the store clerk at gunpoint at 6:40 p.m., making off with an estimated $300.

The man fled on foot before law enforcement arrived, Cameron said.

Clallam County Sheriff’s deputies, assisted by officers from the Port Angeles Police Department, Sequim Police Department, Washington State Patrol and U.S. Border Patrol, set a perimeter around the crime scene within minutes. A K-9 search conducted by a Port Angeles Police K-9 team led officers to an area approximately 1/8 mile south on Taylor Cutoff Road where the suspect likely entered a vehicle to flee the area, Cameron said.

The suspect is described as being a white male, 5’7” tall, slender build, wearing a blue or grey hooded sweatshirt and black ski mask. He brandished a silver-colored semiautomatic pistol during the robbery, Cameron said.

The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office is seeking assistance from the public in identifying the robbery suspect. All calls should be forwarded to Sheriff’s Sgt. John Hollis at 360-461-9257.