By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – St. John detectives are continuing their investigation into the armed robbery of a LaPlace home improvement store Tuesday, in which a store employee was bound and gagged, said a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.

The incident happened around 10 p.m. at the Home Depot, located at 300 Airline Hwy., in LaPlace. The robbery took place after the store was closed for the evening.

According to a Sheriff’s Office report, an employee of the store was collecting money from the daily sales and making his way to the business office, when he was approached from behind by an unidentified male.

The suspect, armed with a gun, bound and gagged the store employee before fleeing the scene through an emergency exit at the rear of the store. He left the building with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Maj. Mike Tregre, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office, said that detectives believe that the suspect may have been hiding in the building after the store had been closed for the night. He said the incident is still under investigation.

Anyone with information regarding the robbery should contact the Sheriff’s Office at 985-652-6338.