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Police said the robber entered the store in the 4000 block of Genesee Avenue at about 12:35 a.m. and told the clerk that it was a holdup before producing a black handgun, according to San Diego police Sgt. Michael Swanson.

The clerk initially did not believe the gun was real and asked the robber to prove it, Swanson said. The robber then fired a round into the cigarette case behind the counter and demanded cash, which the clerk handed over.

The robber then ran away with an undisclosed amount of cash. He was last seen heading northbound, police said.

The robber was described as a Hispanic man in his mid-20s who was 5 feet 10 inches tall with a medium build. He had an undershirt pulled up that covered his face and was also wearing a gray hoodie, black gloves and dark blue jeans, Swanson said.