A man stole several thousand dollars from Whole Foods in River Forest on Thursday night, pistol-whipping the store’s manager, who was transferring money from cash registers to the safe.
The robber made off with about $7,800 in a cash deposit bag, according to River Forest Police Lt. Craig Rutz.
The robbery, which happened just before 9 p.m. on Thursday night at the 7245 Lake grocery store, took several minutes before the police were alerted, but prompted an immediate response from Oak Park and Forest Park police and a regional hunt for the perpetrator, Rutz said.
Rutz said the suspect was walking around the back of the store carrying a grocery basket with food in it, when he intercepted the store’s manager on his way to secure the cash.
The offender then pulled out a handgun and threatened the manager, hit him with the gun, grabbed the cash, and fled, according to Rutz.
Police responded to the scene about 6 minutes after the incident and issued an alert describing the victim as a 30- to 40-year-old black man with a thin build, a light complexion, a thin beard and moustache. The man was wearing a black jacket, dark jeans, black leather gloves, and a black fisherman’s-style floppy hat.
River Forest police said Friday afternoon they were investigating several leads.
