Robbers on the Run

Robbery at a Gas Station Store in Wels

A gas station in the Neustadt neighborhood was targeted by a robber on Sunday evening.(Bild: Matthias Lauber/laumat.at)

Late Sunday evening in Wels, a major operation was launched by the police and the State Criminal Police Office. An unidentified armed man had robbed a gas station in the Neustadt district and threatened those present with a handgun. He then fled the scene, prompting a large-scale manhunt.

A fully masked man had entered the gas station in the Neustadt district through a back entrance at around 8:20 p.m. on Sunday. There, he threatened two people in the storage room with a pistol and demanded that they hand over the key to the safe.

The unknown man not only pointed his gun at the two of them but also pressed the gun against the head of one of them and then repeated his demand. In the sales area, the masked man cocked his gun to reinforce his threat and ordered a 27-year-old employee to open the cash drawer. 

Once it was open, he reached in himself, grabbed the cash, and fled through the back entrance. The employee immediately pressed the alarm button and urged customers who were arriving to call 911. The two people in the storage room also called the police to report the incident. 

Heavily armed police officers cordoned off the Wels gas station upon their arrival. Members of the State Criminal Investigation Office’s crime scene unit secured evidence in the gas station store.

Numerous patrol cars searched the immediate area for at least one suspect who had fled. The suspect is said to be about 1.70 meters tall. He was wearing black pants, a dark blue hooded jacket, black shoes with white soles, and was carrying a clear plastic bag. The large-scale manhunt has so far been unsuccessful. The police are therefore urgently requesting any relevant information that could lead to the suspect.