Family Dollar robbed by man with socks on hands

Something didn’t look right as a man approached a Family Dollar store Monday night, so he called 911.

His instincts proved to be sharp, police say: Someone was robbing the store at 936 S. Woodlawn at about 9:30 p.m. Officers hurried to the scene, but the robber had left by then, Wichita police Sgt. Nikki Woodrow said.

The robber pointed a gun at the two employees inside the store and three customers, all teenage girls, Woodrow said. He demanded and received cash from two registers and left the area on foot.

He was a black male wearing a brown hooded coat, a white shirt and gray sweatpants, witnesses told police. He had a red, white and black sock on his left hand and a black sock on his right hand.

He also had panty hose covering his face and carried a black handgun, witnesses told police. No injuries were reported.

Woodrow praised the “quick thinking and actions” of the witness, who recognized something seemed out of place as he approached the store and called 911.

Investigators are checking to see whether surveillance video is available of the incident. They’re also reviewing recent robberies where the suspect had a sock on one or both hands.

Woodrow said Monday’s incident reflected the value of the saying, “If you see something, say something.”

“A lot of people don’t like to call 911” out of fear that they might be wrong, she said. But police would rather have callers err on the side of caution.

“If it’s nothing, it’s nothing,” she said. “No harm, no foul.”

This story was originally published July 19, 2016 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Family Dollar robbed by man with socks on hands."