Police are searching for a suspect who robbed Lake Villa Liquors, located at 102 South Milwaukee Avenue in Lake Villa, at gunpoint and injured the clerk Thursday evening. | Provided Photos

Police say a clerk was transported to the hospital after he was beaten by a gunman who robbed a liquor store of cash and fled Thursday evening in Lake Villa.

The Lake Villa Police Department responded around 8:30 p.m. Thursday to Lake Villa Liquors, located at 102 South Milwaukee Avenue in Lake Villa, for a report of an armed robbery.

The offender had fled the scene prior to the police being called, according to Lake Villa Police Department Lt. James DeCaro.

Officers arrived in two minutes and discovered that an offender entered the store armed with a handgun.

The offender demanded money from the clerk and then proceeded to strike the clerk in the head with the gun, DeCaro said.

The clerk then complied with the demands and the offender was able to access the register and steal an undetermined amount of cash.

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The offender entered the passenger side of an awaiting vehicle in the parking lot and fled northbound on Route 83 from the scene.

Video surveillance was obtained and interviews were conducted which showed that the suspect arrived as a passenger in a vehicle.

The vehicle was parked in the lot for several minutes before the offender actually entered the store to commit the robbery, DeCaro said.

The fleeing vehicle was witnessed on video but the license plate attached had been reported stolen out of the area several weeks prior.

The offending vehicle was an older model silver Buick Century sedan, possibly a 2002 model, with dark window tint and damage to the right rear bumper just above the tailpipe.

DeCaro said the vehicle has been used in prior robberies in surrounding counties.

Different stolen license plates were attached to the Buick in those incidents.

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The offender is described as a male black, thin build, wearing dark clothing, a dark-colored ski mask, sunglasses, black gloves and a black or dark-colored baseball cap with a white square image on the front.

The clerk was treated at the scene by paramedics and transported to an area hospital for an evaluation.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact the Lake Vila Police Department at 847-356-6106.

Those who wish to leave anonymous tips can do so by calling Lake County Crime Stoppers at 847-662-2222 or submitting a tip online at lake-villa.org/police.