Police are awaiting a surveillance video after a man entered a St. Paris grocery store at closing time Monday, threatened employees with a handgun and cuffed them to a table in a back room.

The incident occurred shortly after closing time at Howard’s IGA, 311 W. Main St., said Chief Jim Pence Jr. of the St. Paris Police Department.

The man entered the business between 10 and 10:21 p.m., placed a few items in a shopping cart and paid for his purchases. He asked a clerk to see the manager.

The man then reportedly showed a handgun to the clerks and then used a pair of flex cuffs — like zip ties — to tie the manager and one other employee to a table in the back room of the grocery store.

He then fled through the back entrance with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The employees were tied up for about five minutes before one of them was able to get free and call police. No one was injured during the incident.

“We don’t get many armed robberies,” Pence said. “It’s definitely something we don’t like to happen.”

It’s not clear what type of handgun the suspect used. Champaign County Sheriff’s deputies and a Miami County canine unit assisted at the scene. Pence said the dog tracked the suspect for a couple blocks before losing the trail.

The incident was captured on surveillance video and Pence said police are waiting to review the tape. The robber was wearing a hooded sweatshirt or coat, but his face wasn’t covered.

Several cars crowded the store’s parking lot Tuesday morning. Staff members at the business declined to comment.

Shoppers said they had concerns about the incident when they first heard what happened.

Weaver said she knows most of the people who work in the store, and her main worry was that someone could have been hurt.

“It’s a concern,” said Wendy Weaver, of St. Paris. “It’s a small town.”