Assault at HRC Store
Clerk is pistol whipped during robbery
Sgt. Brett Parson, head of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department’s special liaison units, including the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit (GLLU), and the Human Rights Campaign have confirmed a report that the HRC Corner Store and Action Center at 1633 Connecticut Ave. NW was robbed around 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18. An unnamed 23-year-old male working in the store was assaulted during the robbery, which netted approximately $400.
Parson says the victim was pistol-whipped, suffering cuts and bruises to head, for which he was treated and released.
Parson described the suspect as a black male in his mid 20s to early 30s, about 5’4”, 135 pounds, with a light complexion, clean-shaven, with minor acne scars on his chin. At the time of the robbery, the assailant was wearing a dark-green knit hat; a long, puffy black coat; black dress pants; and a tie. The weapon is listed as a ”brown, snub-nose revolver.”
”There is no evidence at this time that this was a hate/bias crime, but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t explore the possibility if other evidence develops,” Parson said Jan.29.
According to a spokesperson for HRC, this is the first time any of the GLBT organization’s three stores — the others being in Provincetown, Mass., and San Francisco — have been robbed. The spokesperson added that HRC has no reason to believe this robbery was a targeted hate crime.
Anyone who may have spotted the suspect should call the WMPD immediately at 911. Less urgent information may be given to the GLLU at 202-727-5427.
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