SEBASTIAN — Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying an armed robbery suspect who stole $180 worth of alcohol from a store and threatened to shoot a clerk on Christmas Eve, officials said.

The unidentified man also shoplifted from the store the day before and stole the same items, which were bottles of Hennessy Cognac, said Sebastian Police Detective Todd Finnegan.

Finnegan said the man went to the store about 8 p.m. Dec. 23 and stole two liquor bottles worth $89 each. The liquor store is located next to the main Publix store in the 1400 block of Sebastian Boulevard.

On Christmas Eve, the same man went back to the store about 7 p.m. A surveillance photo shows the man lift up his shirt as he walks to a shelf; the photo shows what appears to be a firearm in his waistband.

Finnegan said the man again took two bottles of liquor, worth $90 each, and walked out the front door. The clerk then followed the man and told him he needed to pay for the bottles.

Finnegan said the man calmly turned around and told the clerk, “Be careful; I will shoot you.” The clerk went back in the store and notified a manager, who then called police.

The clerk told police he was in fear for his life, Finnegan said. The unidentified man, who still has not been captured, was seen leaving the store in a red vehicle, said police spokesman Commander John Blackledge.

The suspect is described as white, between 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing between 140 and 160 pounds. The man, who has a goatee, was wearing a black hat, red and white plaid shirt, blue jeans and red shoes during the robbery.

Anyone with information on the identity of the man should contact Finnegan at 772-589-5233.

Those who contact Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $3,000. Crime Stoppers can be reached at 1-800-273-TIPS or tcwatch.org.

Photos provided by Sebastian Police Department