Masked gunman robs Wels petrol station and escapes with cash

A masked man robbed a petrol station in Wels-Neustadt on Sunday evening, threatened several people with a pistol and escaped with cash, ORF reported. A police search has so far been unsuccessful.

The man entered through a back entrance at about 8.20 p.m. and encountered two people in the storage area. Police said he threatened them with a firearm and demanded the key to the safe, holding the weapon to one person’s head. The two were not petrol station employees, so the attacker continued into the sales area.

There, he threatened a 27-year-old employee. According to police, he cycled his pistol to reinforce the threat and forced the employee to open the cash drawer.

The attacker took cash from the drawer and fled through the back entrance. The employee triggered the alarm and asked arriving customers to call emergency services. The two people in the storage area also contacted police.

Police said the search launched immediately after the robbery had so far produced no result. The investigation is continuing.

The suspect is described as about 170 centimetres tall. He was fully masked and wore black trousers, a dark blue hooded jacket and black shoes with white soles. Police said he was carrying a pistol and a transparent plastic bag.