Armed robber threatens store owner's son in Elgin

A burglar forced an Elgin grocery store owner to hand over around $8,000 in cash Saturday night as he put a gun to the owner's son's head, according to police.

The owner's son was sweeping in the back of the store on the 600 block of Raymond Street when a masked man walked into the store about 6:45 p.m. and put a black semiautomatic handgun to the back of his head, according to police.

The owner and his wife were behind the deli counter when the robber yelled at him to drop the deli knife and hand over the money, police said.

The robber followed the owner to the cash register with the gun still pointed at the back of his son's head while the owner cleared the register, police said.

The store owner's wife attempted to dial 911 from her cell phone while the man riffled through the register, but the man spotted her and grabbed the phone, according to police.

The burglar then demanded more money, and the owner emptied a box containing about $8,000 that customers gave him to wire to Mexico. The robber took the money and ran out the front doorh, police said.

The owner's wife chased the man, described as a very tall, light-skinned black man with a medium build, south on Raymond Street before losing him at the corner of Hastings and Raymond streets, police said.

The man was last seen wearing a dark navy blue hooded jacket, black ski mask, black fabric gloves and dark-colored pants, according to police.