Sgt. Virgil Woodall dusts the door of the American General Finance at 3046 Indiana Ave. for fingerprints after the business was robbed Thursday morning. (The Vicksburg Post/PAT SHANNAHAN)

When a man entered American General Finance Thursday morning and demanded money, employee Charles Hill thought it was joke.

“He walked over and said get up, this is a robbery,’ and I thought he was joking,” Hill said. “The second time he said it, I knew he was serious.”

Vicksburg Police were still searching this morning for the man who took an undisclosed amount of money from the small business at 3046 Indiana Ave., in the shopping center with SuperValu/IGA grocery store.

Hill, along with two other employees and a customer who walked in on the robber, were ordered to a back room.

“He never took a gun out but he said he had one, and I wasn’t going to question him,” Hill said.

He said the man didn’t look dangerous when he entered the business, which handles personal loans. “He sat down and waited to be helped just like he was a customer,” Hill said. “If you saw this man, you would never think he would do something like this.”

Capt. Robert Dowe said the Vicksburg Police Department is looking for a black male about 5-foot-11 who weighs 170 pounds. At the time of the robbery, he was dressed in jeans and a blue Nike shirt. The suspect walked away from the business around 11:10 a.m.

Hill, a three-year employee, said he thought during the stick-up that he might not live. “I was scared but, at the same time, I was trying to stay calm,” he said.