Graceville bingo parlor robbed

Employees of Graceville Bingo reported being robbed at gunpoint by two masked men in the early hours of Thursday morning, after they closed up shop for the night and went to the parking lot to leave.

According to a press release from the Graceville Police Department, the employees said two black men wearing dark clothes and black masks ran up to the manager around 1 a.m. as the employees were leaving.

With at least one of the two brandishing a small caliber semi-automatic handgun, the two took an undetermined amount of cash and two of the employees’ purses.

When the robbers ran around the north end of the building, one employee gave chase and got into a physical struggle with one of the thieves, who dropped one of the purses in the struggle.

The Graceville police recovered another purse, a woman’s wallet and a handgun from adjoining property to the bingo parlor.

Tracking dogs from Jackson and Apalachee Correctional institutions were deployed to assist in a search for the men. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office also lent a hand, but the robbers could not be located.

The case remains under investigation by Graceville police. Anyone with information that could be of value in identifying or finding the suspects is asked to call the police in Graceville at 263-3944.