MONROE - Maribel Lobato got a good look at the man she says robbed the downtown grocery she owns.
The man, she said, purchased a bottle of soda and a telephone card before pulling out a knife and robbing the Vera Cruz Mexican Store at 1105 16th Ave., just off the Square, at about 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Monroe police still are looking for the suspect, who Lobato said was a new customer who started coming to her store about two weeks ago. She says he's about 35 years old, and told her that he is from El Salvador and had worked in Vermont and Galena, Ill. He also told her he lived in a downtown apartment.
"When he came by, he never drove. I never saw him drive," Lobato said.
The robber, after making his purchase, pointed a long knife at her stomach, told her not to yell, and told her to give him the store's cash, Lobato said.
The man took all the bills and fled the store. Monroe police would not say how much money was taken.
Lobato told a friend, Juan Tellez, working in the next room to chase the robber. Tellez chased the man for about a block.
The man was last seen heading north on 16th Avenue. According to Monroe Chief of Police Fred Kelley, the robber also went west on 11th Street for a short distance.
Kelley said the police were notified shortly after the robbery occurred.
Police report the suspect is described as Hispanic, wearing a green baseball cap, a red shirt and black pants. The robber may be missing a noticeable amount of teeth.
Police taped off the store while detectives processed the crime scene.
Kelley said the crime happened quickly and did not know if detectives would find much evidence at the scene. Officers and police dogs were canvassing the downtown area for about an hour after the robbery.
Detectives said they would be done processing the scene and would turn the store back over to Lobato by late Tuesday afternoon. Lobato was able to reopen as soon as they finished.
This is the second time in a month that a Hispanic grocery in Monroe has been robbed.
On June 13, police received a report of a robbery at about 11:30 a.m. at Latin Brothers III grocery at 2823 8th Ave. on Monroe's far south side. That robbery remains under investigation, and no suspects have been arrested. Kelley said police are not sure whether the two robberies are related.
"I can't say that they are," he said.
The two stores have different owners.
In the robbery at Latin Brothers III, an Hispanic male, wearing a dark-colored ski mask, a red shirt and black pants, entered the grocery, displayed a knife, confronted the clerk and asked for money. The clerk gave the robber an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency. The robber fled on foot, north on Eighth Avenue.
Lobato said she was not concerned about her store when the 8th Avenue robbery happened.
At the police station Tuesday, Lobato still was visibly shaken two hours after the robbery. She said she was "so scared" when the robbery happened, and had not been robbed before.
People having any knowledge of the alleged crime are asked to contact the Monroe Police Department at 329-2400 or Green County Crimestoppers at 1-800-I-C-Crime.
The man, she said, purchased a bottle of soda and a telephone card before pulling out a knife and robbing the Vera Cruz Mexican Store at 1105 16th Ave., just off the Square, at about 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Monroe police still are looking for the suspect, who Lobato said was a new customer who started coming to her store about two weeks ago. She says he's about 35 years old, and told her that he is from El Salvador and had worked in Vermont and Galena, Ill. He also told her he lived in a downtown apartment.
"When he came by, he never drove. I never saw him drive," Lobato said.
The robber, after making his purchase, pointed a long knife at her stomach, told her not to yell, and told her to give him the store's cash, Lobato said.
The man took all the bills and fled the store. Monroe police would not say how much money was taken.
Lobato told a friend, Juan Tellez, working in the next room to chase the robber. Tellez chased the man for about a block.
The man was last seen heading north on 16th Avenue. According to Monroe Chief of Police Fred Kelley, the robber also went west on 11th Street for a short distance.
Kelley said the police were notified shortly after the robbery occurred.
Police report the suspect is described as Hispanic, wearing a green baseball cap, a red shirt and black pants. The robber may be missing a noticeable amount of teeth.
Police taped off the store while detectives processed the crime scene.
Kelley said the crime happened quickly and did not know if detectives would find much evidence at the scene. Officers and police dogs were canvassing the downtown area for about an hour after the robbery.
Detectives said they would be done processing the scene and would turn the store back over to Lobato by late Tuesday afternoon. Lobato was able to reopen as soon as they finished.
This is the second time in a month that a Hispanic grocery in Monroe has been robbed.
On June 13, police received a report of a robbery at about 11:30 a.m. at Latin Brothers III grocery at 2823 8th Ave. on Monroe's far south side. That robbery remains under investigation, and no suspects have been arrested. Kelley said police are not sure whether the two robberies are related.
"I can't say that they are," he said.
The two stores have different owners.
In the robbery at Latin Brothers III, an Hispanic male, wearing a dark-colored ski mask, a red shirt and black pants, entered the grocery, displayed a knife, confronted the clerk and asked for money. The clerk gave the robber an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency. The robber fled on foot, north on Eighth Avenue.
Lobato said she was not concerned about her store when the 8th Avenue robbery happened.
At the police station Tuesday, Lobato still was visibly shaken two hours after the robbery. She said she was "so scared" when the robbery happened, and had not been robbed before.
People having any knowledge of the alleged crime are asked to contact the Monroe Police Department at 329-2400 or Green County Crimestoppers at 1-800-I-C-Crime.