VIDEO BY BRI HOTTINGER AND SOPHIE VUKOVICH, CTV
Loveland residents Tim Lara, Tyler Johnson and Molly Wride were stopping for gas on their way to Cheba Hut Thursday when they saw firsthand an armed robbery that left three injured.
While standing in a parking lot overlooking the One Stop Gas Station on 2025 S. College Ave., they said they saw a suspect use a metal pipe to beat two clerks inside the gas station.
“The scary thing is that we were just about to get gas,” Wride, 15, said.
According to a news release from Fort Collins Police Services, the incident occurred at 12:18 p.m. on Thursday. Two men and one woman sustained injuries during the robbery and were transported to Poudre Valley Hospital.
Their conditions were not known at the time of print.
As of 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the suspect was not in custody. According to the release, he fled on foot in an unknown direction of travel. According to an alert from the CSU Public Safety Team, a perimeter had been set up Thursday afternoon near the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
The suspect was carrying a gun but was not using it, according to the release.
Multiple lanes on southbound College Avenue were closed during the investigation, causing heavy traffic in both directions.
Del Lovejoy, a sign carrier for Once Again Thrift Store, which overlooks the gas station, witnessed the police arrive on the scene minutes after the incident.
“You can’t really call [Fort Collins] a safe town,” he said. “I wish it were a lot safer than it is.”
The suspect is described as a white male, who was approximately 5’10” tall and under 200 pounds. The suspect was dressed in a black Dickie jacket and black pants. He was described as having dark, curly hair.
This year, there have been 17 incidents of armed robbery in Fort Collins, according to statistics provided by FCPS Spokeswoman Rita Davis. There were 37 total incidents in 2011, as compared to 21 in 2008.
“We were just expecting to go get some lunch, and then this happened,” Lara, 14, said.
UCA Beat Reporter Lianna Salva can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com. Editor in Chief Allison Sylte contributed to this report.
