Sheriff’s detectives say they need help from the public identifying the suspect in an attempted robbery at the Dion’s convenience store on Big Coppitt Key this afternoon.

At about 5 p.m. today the young man entered Dion’s and demanded the clerk give him money from the store register. She said he reached toward the waistband of his shorts as if he had a weapon. The clerk was assisting a customer at the time and told the young man to wait while she finished giving the customer change.

As the suspect attempted to reach over the counter into the register the clerk closed the register drawer. At that point, the suspect fled the store, riding his blue bicycle away down 1^st Street on Big Coppitt Key. A witness who saw the suspect said he turned right into a residential area.

The suspect is a young white male. He was wearing a black and white striped hoodie sweatshirt and shorts.

Anyone with information about this crime should contact the Sheriff’s Office at 305-289-2351. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers of the Florida Keys. If a Crimestoppers tip leads to an arrest, the caller would be eligible for a cash reward. The Crimestoppers hot line number is 1-800-346-TIPS. Tips may be made anonymously on line at www.tipsubmit.com or via a text message to 274637 using the keyword TIP136.