Armed robberies just don’t happen in Bel-Air.
Luke Hough has worked in the city long enough to say that. He’s head of security at Looney’s Pub & Grill on Main Street.
“I’m blown away, especially in a small town like this. People never hear or see anything like that – it’s pretty rare. It’s very rare,” Hough said.
In the same shopping center as Looney’s -- just two stores down -- as Luke was locking up, Bel Air Police say a masked man held up a 7-Eleven.
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Normally, I lock up. I’m the last person here. I close the door to make sure everything is secure and if not, it’s one of my guys,” Hough said.
Because of the nearby bars and the busy flow of traffic, police are usually around.
This time being no different.
“That’s kind of what makes this an anomaly. That’s why we were there so quickly. We did everything we could to prevent things like this from happening,” Det. Cpl. Matthew Gullion said.
Police were at the store in minutes. Too late, however, to catch the quick thief.
It’s a rarity that’s forcing Luke to reassess his security and his team’s safety.
“We’re definitely going to be making sure all of our employees every night, even during the day if we can. Just trying to make sure everybody that we can take care of, that we’re responsible for, is taken care of,” Hough said.
Bel Air police say they’re confident they’ll find the thief in the next day or two.
