A masked gunman robbed a convenience store just north of the Twin Cities area Monday evening and sped away with the cash into the dark on a snowmobile, authorities said Tuesday.

The holdup occurred about 7:30 p.m. Monday at Tim’s Country Cupboard at 31105 Forest Blvd. in Stacy, the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office said.

The cash has not been recovered, and no arrests have been made, Chief Deputy Chad Worden said.

Authorities briefly detained three people at a home a few miles west of the store in Anoka County later that night and recovered two stolen snowmobiles at the residence, Worden said.

According to the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office:

A store employee said a man wearing a red ski mask, a tan jacket, snowmobile pants and boots pulled a silver revolver with a wooden handle and ordered the cash register emptied. The suspect left with the loot and sped off on the snowmobile.

Sheriff’s deputies soon arrived at a home in the 8700 block of 241st Avenue, a few miles to the west in Anoka County. Deputies were led to that address because the snowmobile headed in that direction, and the home and its occupants have a history of suspected criminal activity.

While Anoka County SWAT team members secured the residence, authorities found two stolen snowmobiles, a stolen trailer and unspecified items “in connection with the robbery.”

Paul Walsh