Revere Police seek New Year’s robbery suspect

REVERE – Revere police are circulating Store 24 surveillance photos of a suspect who allegedly got into the Shirley Avenue convenience store after closing time on New Year’s Eve and robbed the clerk at knifepoint.The crime occurred shortly after 11:30 p.m. Dec. 31 but it wasn’t reported until about 8 a.m. Jan. 1.According to police, the clerk said he was closing the shop when the suspect began knocking on the locked door. The man said he just wanted to buy a pack of cigarettes, so the clerk allowed him inside.However, once inside, he allegedly pulled a kitchen knife on the clerk and demanded money from the register.In one of the surveillance photos, the suspect is seen standing behind the counter where the cash register is located.The suspect then demanded the lottery money from the safe, police said.At that point, the suspect became distracted, allowing the clerk to flee into a storage room, where he locked himself inside, according to police.The clerk said he remained behind the locked door until he heard the suspect exit the store.The suspect is described as a middle aged white man, about 5-foot-4, with a slim build and missing teeth. He was last seen wearing a Red Sox hat and a three-quarter length black coat.Anyone with information is asked to call Revere police detectives at 781-286-3558.