Gunman Sought in Robbery at Motel

Authorities are looking for a bearded man who wielded a handgun as he robbed the Thousand Oaks Best Western motel under the pretense of needing change.

About 7:35 p.m. Saturday, a man carrying a briefcase entered the Best Western at 12 Conejo Blvd., sheriff’s deputies said. The man set his briefcase on the front counter and asked the clerk for change.

“When the clerk opened the drawer, the suspect pulled out a gun and put the whole drawer in his briefcase,” said Senior Deputy Anthony Marr. The robber sent the desk clerk to the back room and fled on foot through the parking lot. No one was injured.

The cash drawer contained an unknown amount of money, Marr said.

The robber was described as a 6-foot-1 white man with a brown beard who was wearing a black golf cap and a blue T-shirt with a yellow school logo, police said.

Anyone who may have witnessed the robbery is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 494-TALK.