Armed robber holds up Crystal River RaceTrac

At 3:25 a.m. on Friday, Citrus County deputies were dispatched to the RaceTrac gas station (1001 N.E. 5th St.) in Crystal River in response to an armed robbery that had just occurred.

The clerks told deputies that a lone white male entered the store wielding a firearm and demanding cash. They handed over an undetermined amount of money from the store’s registers to the suspect, who then fled out the door, heading perhaps in a westerly direction.

No shots were fired, and neither of the female clerks was injured.

The victims described the white male subject as being dressed in all black, with a black covering over his face. He had on sunglasses. The suspect is approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall, with reddish blond hair.

Detectives, crime scene technicians and a CCSO K-9 unit arrived on scene, and the location began to be processed for evidence. The K-9 and his handler followed a track for some distance, but were unable to catch up with the suspect. It is unknown at this time whether or not a vehicle was involved in this robbery.

Anyone with information about this crime or the identity of the suspect is asked to call 911 or contact Crime Stoppers of Citrus County, Inc., right away. Text CITRUS plus your tip to 274637 (CRIMES), click on www.crimestopperscitrus.com or call 1-888-ANY-TIPS toll-free. Tipsters may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $1,000.