Queen Street store robbed

A man wielding a box cutter entered Queen Street Grocery on Saturday morning, grabbed a clerk and dragged her to the back of the store before taking money from the register, police investigator Shylah Murray said.

One of two detectives at the scene late Saturday afternoon confirmed that the woman had been raped but said he could not comment further.

Charles Francis, police public information officer, said the investigation is ongoing and declined to say whether a rape had occurred. The amount of money taken in the robbery was not disclosed.

Police released a tape from the store security camera that showed a man enter the store at the corner of Queen and Logan streets, chat with the young clerk and then move toward her behind the counter.

The incident happened about 9:15 a.m. A yellow piece of paper taped to the door had a hand-scrawled message that said the store, which opened in 1922, was closed for an emergency.

A man who identified himself as the store owner arrived in the afternoon and opened a padlock on the door before going inside. "I'd rather not talk about it," he said when asked about the incident.

The clerk was the only witness to the crime, Murray said.

"Very upsetting," Logan Street resident Scott Harrelson said. "It's one thing to get my bike stolen, but that's getting a little bit scary."

College of Charleston student Courtney Codina, 22, went to the store for a soda only to find that it was closed.

"That's really shocking," she said. "That makes me feel very scared. This is supposed to be a very nice area."

Fellow College student Brent Smith, 22, who walked his dog on Queen Street, described the neighborhood as very friendly. "That's terrifying," he said. "I'm kind of in shock actually."