Man robs Costa Mesa gas station A...

Man robs Costa Mesa gas station

A man robbed a Costa Mesa gas station Friday night, threatening

the clerk with what police believe was a simulated gun.

The man entered the Mobil gas station at the corner of Harbor

Boulevard and Gisler Avenue at about 7:45 p.m. Friday, Costa Mesa

Police Lt. John FitzPatrick said. He appeared to check the station

for cameras, then re-entered the store with his hands in his pockets

pretending he had a gun, FitzPatrick said.

The man demanded money from the clerk, who complied, FitzPatrick

said. He fled south on the San Diego Freeway in a blue van with an

undisclosed amount of money, according to police.

He is described as a white man, 6 feet tall, with a beard, acne

and wearing a dark-hooded jacket and blue jeans. He was driving a

blue van that may have been a Honda or Plymouth, police said.