Man armed with knife robs Boston candy shop: "It's really heartbreaking, really disgusting"
The owner of the popular candy shop Madeleine's in Boston's South End said her staff is shaken after a man robbed them at knifepoint.
He walked into the store on Clarendon Street around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and pulled a knife on the only employee working at the time.
"Odd behavior, just a very odd guy all around," said owner Madeleine Brason. "(He) had her sit on the floor and told her to wait five minutes after he left."
The robbery was recorded on surveillance video. It took just minutes and the man pulled his mask off as he left the shop. According to Brason, he demanded money from the cash register but didn't get away with much.
"Only like $100 or a few hundred dollars," she told WBZ-TV. Brason was working at her ice cream shop two doors down at the time of the robbery. "And that's when I called the police," she said.
No one was hurt. Brason called it, "A crime of opportunity and desperation."
"It's really heartbreaking, really disgusting that this happened because it really is such a safe space," Brason said.
Residents like Shelley Crosby are still in shock.
"This is a pretty safe neighborhood. So, hearing about a store getting robbed is surprising," she said.
Alexander Albregts added, "It's just really tragic actually and you would think, a candy store? What are they doing?"
Boston Police released surveillance photos of the robbery hoping to generate leads in the case.
"The suspect is described as a white or light-skinned Hispanic male wearing a maroon sweatshirt, a gray wool cap, gray sweatpants, and a black mask," police said in a statement.
"This is obviously something you have to be somewhat prepared for," Brason explained. "Especially when you work in retail in an urban environment and truly honestly anywhere but definitely shock given that it happened during rush hour."
