Lisa Scott
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 05/05) - The RCMP say two men who robbed Winks convenience store at knife-point early Monday morning should be considered armed and dangerous.

Shortly before 5 a.m. Oct. 2, two men came into the store. One pulled out a knife and they demanded cash from the lone clerk. They escaped with what police described as a "large" amount of cash.

The suspects are described as 5'8" and 5'10" and slender. One wore a green jacket and blue jeans, with something covering his face. The other man wore a black jacket.

The clerk was not hurt during the robbery.

Three police officers arrived on the scene shortly after the 4:52 a.m. call, with one searching for the men on foot.

They were unable to apprehend the fleeing thieves.

RCMP Sgt. Darcy Fleury says an investigation is underway. There were two witnesses to the robbery, including the lone store attendant and a passerby.

Armed robbery is rare in the city, he says. "We haven't had one in a long while."

The police are asking for the public's help finding the culprits, though the men are considered armed and dangerous and shouldn't be approached.

On Monday afternoon, the store was operating as usual, with store owner Abdullah Al-Mahamud behind the counter.

Al-Mahamud, who took over ownership, wasn't too worried about the robbery.

He called it a small event and declined to comment any further.

This wasn't the first time Winks has been robbed at knifepoint. In August 2004, a man wielding a knife made off with an undisclosed amount of cash after threatening two staff members. In that incident, one of the clerks chased the man, but was unable to catch him.