MANCHESTER, CT. (WFSB) -
A massive manhunt has been called off, but police are still searching for the man who forced his way into a Manchester store on Thursday morning and stole money.
The incident was reported at the Marshalls on Hale Road near the Buckland Hills Mall as employees were beginning to arrive for work.
Police said the suspect was waiting outside the store and hid behind a pillar in front, and when the bus dropped an employee off, he jumped out and pointed a gun at her head, forcing her to let him inside.
Once the masked man forced his way into the store, he gathered all of the employees in a back office and threatened all of them with the gun.
Police said he locked them all inside a closet before taking money from the store and fleeing the scene.
Another employee arriving for work noticed something wasn't right and called police, who then immediately surrounded the store.
"The officer told me that there was a robbery, so one of the managers talked to one of the officers inside," said employee Liz Marie Negron.
Negron was arriving for work when she was told to wait outside during the investigation.
Police used a K-9 to comb the woods surrounding the store and called in surrounding police departments to cover the area around the Buckland Hills Mall and Route 30, while Connecticut State Police stood watch on Interstate 84.
"They were cruising up the highway," said eyewitness Kyle Hopkins. "They were definitely looking for someone."
Police said they believe that the suspect is no longer in the area but are still on the lookout for him.
He is being described as a black man who stands 5'7" tall and was wearing a black mask, a blue zip-up hoodie and jeans.
Employees said he also spoke with a southern accent.
Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call police.
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