The Columbia Police Department is continuing an investigation into an attempted robbery at the Domino’s Pizza on Green Meadows Way that occurred last week.
At 10:55 p.m. March 9, a Domino’s employee reported a suspect with a black handgun was quickly pursuing her as she walked through the restaurant’s parking lot. Before the suspect reached her or the building, the victim was able to shut and lock the door, a CPD news release stated.
As the employee alerted her manager of the possible robbery attempt, the suspect ran to the front of the restaurant. The manager was able to lock the door seconds before the suspect entered.
The suspect then fled after the manager denied his demands for money.
“I have no idea why he fled,” CPD spokeswoman Jill Wieneke said in an e-mail. “Maybe he saw them calling the police? Maybe he didn’t want to risk getting caught? Really, only he knows.”
No one was harmed in the incident and nothing was stolen, but the suspect is still unidentified and on the loose.
Wieneke said the Boone County Sheriff’s Department assisted in the investigation by deploying their canine units to help look for the suspect. Their search was unsuccessful because the canines lost the suspect’s scent, and the active search was called off at about 5 a.m. the next morning, Wieneke said, but the corresponding officers were off duty that evening.
There isn’t much CPD can do until a suspect is identified, Wieneke said.
“We can’t really look for anyone until we have a suspect identified,” Wieneke said. “Since we only have a limited amount of information and no video, we usually put something like this on Crime Stoppers and our website to see if anyone wants to make an anonymous tip.”
Nothing had been submitted on Crime Stoppers as of Monday, but Wieneke said anyone with information can still contact CPD.