Clerk recounts weekend armed robbery at Bolivar convenience store

BOLIVAR, Tenn. — Bolivar police are searching for suspects in connection with a weekend armed robbery. It happened late Saturday night at a convenience store.

It has been a tough couple of days for store clerk Emily Duncan who says her life was threatened over the weekend. She says she, along with a customer and another co-worker, were beaten and held at gunpoint by two men who are still on the run.

It is business as usual Monday afternoon at the Ready Mart in Bolivar. But around 10 p.m. Saturday, a normal work shift for Duncan turned violent.

“They stomped us, kicked us, took our personal money,” Duncan said.

She said a neighbor warned her of men with black hoodies and masks hiding behind a school bus parked nearby, watching the store.

They told us that we needed to call the police, so we did. We called the police. Police came out and they checked the area out. They didn’t see anybody. They said everything was fine,” Duncan said.

But everything wasn’t fine. Duncan told WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News about 30 to 40 minutes later two men ran inside, robbing her, another clerk and a customer at gunpoint.

“They had a .45 magnum. They pulled it straight to our head,” Duncan said.

She says the thieves came around the counter demanding cash and threatened to kill them if they didn’t give them the money.

“We begged them, ‘please don’t shoot, we have babies at home,’ Duncan said.

Duncan says before the men made it to the register, police arrived on the scene.

“About that time, headlights came up and they got spooked and they ran out,” Duncan said.

Investigators say clerks were not able to get a positive ID on the suspects but say there were two black men with a tall, slim build, wearing black hoodies and white tennis shoes.

“I’m hoping that they’re able to get whoever this was,” Duncan said.

While facing a life or death situation, Duncan said she is grateful the men only took cash and not her life.

“I mean, luckily they didn’t pull the trigger. Luckily we just got bruises, but I’d hate to see somebody get shot. I’d hate to see somebody get killed,” Duncan said.

The store clerks said they have surveillance video from that night and are working with Bolivar police to review the video.

Police said they are following up on leads, but no one is in custody. If you have any information regarding this case, please call Bolivar police at 731-658-4284.