An elderly man was hogtied, pistol-whipped and robbed inside his northern Birmingham store Friday afternoon.

Lawrence Clark, 87, said he was bound for about an hour and locked inside his own business before he was able to break free and go to his fenced yard where he flagged down a passerby to call police. "I was scared,'' Clark told AL.com. "I figured this was it for me."

Birmingham police were called to Clark's appliance store shortly before 2 p.m. Chris Jackson was passing by when a woman stopped him and asked him to call police. He did, and then spoke with Clark who told him of the attack at the hands of a man who he sometimes offered work.

"I just seen the blood on his face and wanted to get him help,'' Jackson said. "The guy took everything."

Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service responded to the scene, and used bolt cutters to gain access to the fenced area and to Clark.

Clark told police the acquaintance, a homeless man, stopped by the store to ask if he had any work he could do. They talked briefly, and then the suspect grabbed Clark's pistol out of his pocket and ordered him to the floor.

That's when he bound him with wire from the store and repeatedly threatened to kill him. "He hit me several times,'' Clark said. "I wasn't thinking about that. I was thinking about surviving."

Officers said the suspect stole Clark's gun, his billfold containing $500 and Clark's 2016 Nissan Frontier. Clark feared the man was going to go to his Forestdale area home because he'd been there before to the cut the grass. Birmingham police asked the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office to go check on the home.

Clark, who uses a cane, said he's had his store there for 29 years and never has had anything like this happen. "I'm thinking about retiring,'' he said. "I don't need this."

Birmingham police Officer E. Rosato said officers were actively pursuing leads on the case. "I hate when people take advantage of someone this age,'' the officer said, "but we're going to do all we can to make sure justice is served."