LARGO - The office building was closing up Wednesday evening when the armed man slipped inside, authorities said.
He was wearing a blue-and-white long-sleeved flannel shirt, jeans and tan shoes. His face was partially covered. He carried a black handgun and locked the door behind him.
At 5 p.m., only two female employees - a clerk and a vice president - remained inside the corporate office of Knight Enterprises, which installs cable lines for Bright House Networks, at 6056 Ulmerton Road, a company official said.
The man demanded the women open the office's safe, but neither knew exactly how to, said sheriff's Sgt. Jim Bordner. The Sheriff's Office did not release the names of the employees.
"He tormented both women for about an hour," Bordner said. "They were obviously in great fear."
The man put the gun to one of the women's heads, threatening to kill her if the other one could not successfully unlock the safe, Bordner said. He pistol-whipped them. He stuck a trash can over one woman's head.
Then the women called a co-worker at home who told them how to open the safe, Bordner said. But inside the safe was no money. Turns out the company does not operate with cash.
The robber next asked for one of the women's purses and again did not find any money, Border said. Before leaving empty-handed, he bound both of them, hands and legs, with duct tape.
The women were able to free themselves and called 911, Bordner said. One of the women was treated at a hospital, but both escaped serious injury, said Bob Halle, the company's vice president of operations.
"Luckily, no one else walked in on it. It could have been a lot worse," he said.
The women are staying with family for a few days, he said.
"Physically, everyone seems to be okay, but mentally it's one of the stressful things nobody wants to go through," Halle said.
Halle said he could not understand why anyone would target Knight's office: The safe never has cash in it.
No arrest was made Thursday evening.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic man, 4 feet 10, about 120 pounds. Anyone with information is asked to contact Cpl. Paul Martin at (727) 582-6200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS.
