Clerk, hotel guest thwart armed robbery

A clerk’s scream and the response of a guest thwarted an attempted armed robbery of a motel early Sunday.

The incident happened at about 8:30 a.m. at the Best Western Inn and Suites at 4681 Chambers Road, according to a Bibb County Sheriff’s Office release.

A clerk at the front desk saw a masked man with a gun entering the lobby. She screamed and ran toward the back of the motel. The suspect went behind the counter to try to open the cash drawer but could not.

A guest described as “a federal agent with the military” heard the scream and went to see what was happening. The guest confronted the robber and the suspect fled.

The suspect was described at a black male, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing approximately 220 pounds with a beard. He was wearing blue Velcro tennis shoes, dark colored jeans and an orange or light-red button up shirt and dark colored hooded sweatshirt.

The motel is near the intersection of Interstate 75 and Eisenhower Parkway.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call sheriff’s office at 478-751-7500, or Macon Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.

This story was originally published December 3, 2017 at 10:52 AM with the headline "Clerk, hotel guest thwart armed robbery."