ALTON - Sun Loan Company, located at 192 Alton Square Mall Drive, Suite D, Alton, was robbed at gun point around 10:50 a.m. Thursday by a male suspect wearing a black hoodie and a surgical mask.
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The robbery suspect then fled behind the building on foot. Alton Police Chief Jake Simmons and other officers were on the scene immediately interviewing witnesses. Meanwhile, Alton officers are presently searching for the suspect using the K9 unit.
Simmons said detectives haven't determined yet if the man was a white or light-complected black male.
"The man came inside and displayed a handgun and there were two employees inside and they gave him cash," Simmons said. "The man ran out the back of Sun Loan. We had the K9 Unit come out and we did find a track but lost the scent somewhere along Oakwood and Alton Square Mall Drive. We believe he had a getaway parked vehicle there."
Alton Police searched a house behind the business after the robbery, but Simmons said that was part of the nuisance abatement plan.
"We made a warrant arrest in the 600 block of Oakwood and it was not related to this incident," he said. "Detectives are now looking at video surveillance and have a possible vehicle description from Ameren."
On the subject of the surgical mask, there was an incident on Lindenwood in Alton in November where someone broke into a house and wore a surgical mask, but so far, detectives don't know if was the same person, Simmons said. That particular surgical mask was left in a shed on Brentwood Boulevard in Alton after the break-in.
Madelaine Gerard also contributed to this story.
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