Police: Customer scares away would-be robber at Newport News 7-Eleven

Newport News police are investigating after a man tried to rob a 7-Eleven store Thursday night, an official said.

Officers were dispatched about 9:10 p.m. to the store at 3600 Washington Ave., according to police spokesman Master Police Officer Brandon Maynard.

The clerk, a 43-year-old Newport News woman, told police a man she did not know entered the business, told her he had a gun, and demanded she open the register, Maynard said.

A customer walked in during the incident, and then the suspect left, according to Maynard. Nothing was taken, and no injuries were reported, he said.

The suspect is described as an “older” black male with a bald head and a salt-and-pepper beard. He was wearing a tan hooded shirt with black pockets, black wrist cuffs, blue shorts, and white and black shoes.

The investigation is ongoing, Maynard said. Anyone with information that can assist police in the investigation should call the anonymous Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.