A man used a 10-inch kitchen knife to hold up the Tienda Mexicana store in El Jebel Friday night, getting away with about $10,000, the store’s owner said.

Eagle County Sheriff’s Office deputies are still looking for the suspect, who was dressed head-to-toe in solid black when the crime occurred around 7:30 p.m. Friday. The man was about 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet tall, and weighed around 170 pounds, said Eagle County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Jessie Mosher, but his face was obscured by a black cap and mask.

The man walked into the store on East Valley Road an placed a reusable shopping bag on the counter, demanding that the clerk empty the cash register into the bag, Mosher said. The store also runs a money wiring service, and the thief told the store’s owner to hand over the cash from that part of the operation, which is kept in a separate place. The clerk, who is also the store’s owner and was alone in the establishment at the time, complied.

At some point during the robbery, the suspect walked around the counter and began waving a 10-inch kitchen knife in the store owner’s direction from 5 to 6 feet away, Mosher said. No one was physically hurt in the exchange.

The suspect then ran out of the store while the owner gave chase. The suspect fled into a nearby park-and-ride lot and disappeared, Mosher said, adding it is unclear if he got into a vehicle or not.

The store’s owner estimated his loss from the robbery to be around $10,000, he said.

Mosher said that perpetrators of such crimes often can’t help throwing their ill-gotten cash around a little too loosely. She asked anyone with information on the crime to contact authorities.

If you think you may have any information about the suspects or this crime, please call Eagle County Crime Stoppers at 970 328-7007 or 1-800-972-TIPS, submit your tip online at www.tipsubmit.com [1], or text a tip from your cell phone by texting STOPCRIME plus your message to CRIMES (274637). If your tip leads to the arrest and indictment of any suspect involved, you could earn up to a $1,000 reward from the Crime Stoppers.

curtis@aspendailynews.com [2]