Suspect runs off from Jimmy John's shop with employees' purses after demanding access to safe

Detectives are investigating an armed robbery at a sandwich shop in Southeast Michigan during which the suspect demanded cash from the clerks on duty, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said. 

The robbery happened about 10:44 p.m. Tuesday at Jimmy John's on Sashabaw Road in Independence Township. That's when a man who was wearing a mask and a black hooded sweatshirt shattered the glass of a rear door to get inside the sandwich shop. 

Once inside, deputies said, the man confronted the two women who were working at the time, pulled out a handgun and demanded access to the store's safe. 

The women replied that they did not have access to the safe. 

The suspect then ordered both of the employees to place their purses on the counter. They complied, he climbed onto the counter, took the purses and ran out of the building. 

Deputies searched the area and brought both a K-9 unit and a drone unit to the scene. But the suspect could not be found. 

The Oakland County Sheriff's Office also sent an evidence technician to the site. 

"We could really use the public's help on this case," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "If you were in the area around the time of the incident, or you have a business or a home that has a camera that may have caught the person on foot, or a car fleeing the area, we would greatly appreciate that information being shared with us." 

Tips can be provided either to the sheriff's Independence Township substation office at 248-620-4968 or to Crime Stoppers of Michigan at 800-SPEAK-UP.