Saloon robbed at gunpoint

A man who robbed a bartender at gunpoint early Sunday morning in the Red Dog Saloon is still at large, according to the Port Orchard Police.

The suspect, dressed in black, used a brick to smash a window at the popular watering hole on Mile Hill Drive at 1:59 a.m., after closing. The man climbed through the window and told the bartender – who was already on the phone with the police – to put down the phone and open the safe, according to authorities and the bar manager.

The man took an undisclosed amount of money from the safe and ran out the smashed window.

"The whole thing took about 45 seconds," said Kathleen Van Sandt, the saloon's manager. Over fear of future robberies, Van Sandt refused to say how much money was taken.

Police said they were still trying to determine the amount stolen from the bar.

Van Sandt said the bartender was shaken but not injured after the robbery.

Police and sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene shortly after 2 a.m., said Port Orchard Police Commander Geoff Marti. A Bremerton Police K-9 Unit was used to track the suspect to Retsil Park, but the scent was lost and the suspect escaped.

Marti described the man as having a "slight build" and a black bandana covering his face and hair during the robbery.

Police believe the man had prior knowledge to how the saloon operated before he robbed the store.

"This didn't look to be completely random," Marti said. "It has the markings of somebody that went in and knew what they were doing."

Marti encouraged anyone with information to contact the police department.

 

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