UPDATE: HDPS Sgt. Duimstra tells WHTC the suspect is described as a light-skinned, possibly black, male, demanded cash from the clerk and fled on foot. He said no weapon was seen and none was implied. white shirt with a stripe, possibly black or yellow on it.
HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — Holland Department of Public Safety officers are investigating the report of a robbery at the Columbia One Stop, at the corner of Columbia Avenue and 17th Street.
The call for help came just after 7 p.m. police at the scene tell WHTC the robber was not armed and fled on foot. A K-9 unit was tracking the suspect even as people, including a woman wearing headphones, stumbled upon the scene.
People in cars stopped at the light at the corner of 16th Street and Columbia, rolled down their windows and called out to nearby pedestrians, asking what had happened.
“Normally it’s a nice neighborhood,” said one woman — who didn’t want her name used. She said in 40 years, Columbia One Stop has been robbed, as far as she knows, about three times.
“It’s great neighbhood to live in,” she said, describing her street, where many have lived for decades. “We enjoy it here.”
This is a breaking-news story and will be updated as information is verified. Drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists are asked to stay out of the area.
