A man who tried to rob an Elkridge High's store Wednesday night fled when an employee refused to open the register, Howard County police said.
Neither the clerk nor a customer was injured during the attempted robbery, police said.
About 8:20 p.m., the man approached the counter to buy cigarettes but told the employee he had left his money in his car. The man left the store, in the 6200 block of U.S. 1, and came back with a handgun, police said.
He ordered the clerk to open the register and a patron to remove the cash.
When the clerk would not comply, the man ran from the store and drove off in a small gray car, police said.
The man was described as a white male, 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a stocky build and shoulder-length blond hair.