Clerks held at gunpoint in Paso Robles liquor store robbery

A Paso Robles liquor store was robbed at gunpoint by two men Saturday night, and the robbers ran away with money and a bottle of alcohol, according to a news release from the Paso Robles Police Department.

Police were dispatched to Wayside Liquor at 703 Creston Road in Paso Robles about 10:50 p.m. in response to a silent alarm activation.

Two store clerks told officers that they were robbed at gunpoint by two men wearing masks, the news release said. The clerks were unharmed.

One of the men allegedly pointed a handgun at the clerk behind the counter and demanded money and a bottle of alcohol, according to the news release. The clerk complied and gave one of the suspects an undisclosed amount of money from the cash register and a bottle of alcohol.

The second clerk was held at gunpoint while the robbery took place, the news release said.

The suspects fled the store and fired at least two rounds into the air, which the clerks described as sounding like a cap gun. The robbers ran toward Walnut Drive.

Descriptions of both robbers were gathered from clerk statements and review of video surveillance footage.

One of the robbers was described as wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and a black mask similar to a ski mask, the news release said. He also wore black gloves, a black Seattle Seahawks hat and black shoes with a white Nike swoosh on the sides. The man appeared to be thin and about 5 feet, 8 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall. He had what was described as a small-caliber, black, long-barreled revolver, according to the news release.

The other robber was described as wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, dark blue jeans with a military-style green belt, white batting gloves with red finger tips and a black ski mask over his face that had white skeleton print near the eye hole, the news release said. He also wore black shoes with a red symbol on the side and red tread. The man also appeared to be thin and about 5 feet, 8 inches to 5 feet, 10 inches tall. He had what was described as a black, semi-automatic handgun.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to contact the Paso Robles Police Department at 805-237-6464, or if they wish to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 805-549-STOP.

This story was originally published November 13, 2016 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Clerks held at gunpoint in Paso Robles liquor store robbery."