Brian John Littke, the suspect in a Nov. 23 robbery near Poulsbo was arrested and booked into Kitsap County Jail on Nov. 25.

At around 5:20 a.m Nov. 23 Kitsap County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene of an armed robbery at Hill Top Grocery near Poulsbo.

According to a statement of probable cause, the clerk at the shop, located off of Highway 3, told officers that a man wearing a clown mask and wielding a folded knife came in and took $100 from the extra cash drawer as well as cigarettes and then took off running before officers could arrive.

The clerk told officers that when he realized what was happening, they threw a fixed blade knife at the suspect before chasing them down the street to where Highway 3 and Tytler Road intersect.

The clerk recognized the suspect (though reported to officers that he did not know the man’s name at the time) as 36-year-old Brian John Littke of Chimacum, a frequent customer at the store.

KCSO deployed a K-9 unit to track down Littke. Following the path of the chase from the store to a residence known to law enforcement. Along the way, the K-9 unit also picked up the mask Littke had been wearing, a search for Littke had been underway since Nov. 23.

When deputies returned later that evening to follow up with the clerk, the clerk had learned Littke’s name from another customer. Documents say the clerk was able to identify Littke from a series of photographs almost immediately.