SCF Tip: Choose Weapon Carefully

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A robber who used a blowtorch to threaten a drug store worker and a gas station clerk was being sought for two failed heists, authorities said Friday.

The man went into a Rite-Aid store on Jan. 31 and demanded cash. He pulled a self-igniting propane torch out of a bag, lit it and pointed the 2-foot flame at a worker, authorities said.

The clerk refused to give him money and yelled at the man, who fled. About 15 minutes later, however, he pulled the torch on a gas station cashier, San Diego County sheriff's deputies said.

The cashier pulled a stick from behind the counter and began to hit the robber, who fought back with the blowtorch and then ran outside.

The fight continued until he threw the torch, which missed the clerk and landed near gasoline pumps.

The bandit fled in a car occupied by a woman.

The station worker was not injured.

Authorities described the bandit as a 5-foot-2, 220-pound man in his 50s or 60s. He wore a tan fishing hat.