INVERNESS - The Citrus County Sheriff's Office is investigating an armed robbery at Brad's Food and Gas in Inverness.

Deputies were called to the scene at the intersection of South Pleasant Grove Road (County Road 581) and East Arbor Street shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Monday.

The store's owner told deputies he was in the rear of the store when he saw a man wearing all-black clothing - including a mask, gloves and hooded shirt - come inside. He said the robber pointed a gun at him and ordered him to the floor.

A second suspect, who also was dressed in all black, demanded the victim’s money. The store owner handed his wallet to the second man. The same unarmed suspect had the victim come to the store’s front counter where he zip-tied the owner’s hands together and told him to sit down.

The second victim, a female clerk, was standing behind the front counter when she saw a man wearing all-black clothing run in front of the cash register. The suspect later came around the counter, pointed a firearm at her head and ordered her to the floor. One of the two suspects zip-tied her hands together and told her not to move.

The two men removed cash from the store’s register and floor safe, plus several loose packs and full cartons of cigarettes.

At one point, the female clerk looked up at the suspects and was struck in the back of her head with an unknown object. She was told not to look up again. No other injuries were reported during the robbery.

Once the pair left the store, the two victims were able to get out of their zip-tie bindings and call for help. Neither of them saw the two suspects after they exited the store, so couldn’t say for certain whether a vehicle was involved.

CCSO ground units searched the area, and a K-9 team was able to track the suspects at least a short distance, thus opening up the possibility of a waiting vehicle.

The suspect holding the gun was said to be a white male, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall with a thin build. The other subject may have been Hispanic, based on his speech pattern. The victims were unable to provide any more by way of physical descriptions.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call 911 or 726-1121 right away.

Or contact Crime Stoppers of Citrus County, Inc. Report your tip by texting CITRUS to 274637 (Crimes), clicking on www.crimestopperscitrus.com or calling 1-888-ANY-TIPS toll-free. Tipsters may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $1,000.