By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s detectives are searching for two men who allegedly robbed a LaPlace insurance agency Saturday morning and tied up two employees inside.

Capt. Dane Clement, public information officer for the St. John Sheriff’s Office, said two female employees were opening the US Agencies office in the 100 block of Belle Terre Boulevard around 8:25 a.m. Saturday when two men rushed them at the door and forced them inside.

“Neither victim saw a weapon, but both felt a hard object pressed against their backs,” Clement said. “The women perceived that object to be some sort of weapon.”

Clement said the two coworkers, 29 and 26, were ordered to turn off the alarm and open the business’s safe. The suspects then tied the two women up and left them in a bathroom in the back of the building. Neither employee was hurt during the incident.

“The suspects made off with an undisclosed sum of money and fled the area in an unknown direction,” Clement said.

Just after the two men left the office, the women were able to free themselves and report the robbery to authorities. Clement said one suspect was described as being about 6 feet tall and the other about 5 feet 9 inches tall. The women said both men were wearing dark clothing, and one of the suspects wore a black skull cap.

Clement said deputies canvassed the area in search of the suspects but were unable to find anything.

Any one with information regarding the robbery should call St. John Sheriff’s Detective Freddie Young at 985-359-8769 or CrimeStoppers at 504-822-1111