89. Clothing store near DeLand robbed; clerk forced to take off pants

DELAND -- A gun-wielding man robbed a clothing store near DeLand the night of Dec. 3 and forced the store owner to strip off his pants and lock himself in a bathroom, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office reported.

Once the victim handed over cash and complied with the robber's demands, the robber fled. The owner was the only person in the store at the time. No shots were fired and no one was injured. Volusia County Sheriff's deputies and DeLand Police officers combed the area but, did not find the suspect.
The robbery happened at 6 p.m. at Romeo & Juliet clothing store, 320 North Spring Garden Ave., Unit #F.

The 43-year-old victim told responding deputies that he was on the phone when a young man with a bandana over his face came in through the front door and pointed a
handgun at him. The robber ordered the store owner off the phone and then demanded money.

"When the victim handed over some cash, the robber then told him to take off his pants, go into the bathroom and lock the door," Sheriff's spokesman Brandon Haugft said. "Once the victim thought that the robber was gone, he exited the bathroom and called 911.