Police are searching for a man who robbed and threatened to kill a couple staying at the Rodeway Inn in Suffolk around 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

Sawein and Blaine Bahr, a California couple in the process of building a home in Suffolk, were grilling dinner behind the motel at 1017 N. Main St. when the suspect approached them and started a conversation, said Lt. Debbie J. George, spokeswoman for the Suffolk Police Department.

When Bahr moved toward his room, the suspect forced his way in and took the couple’s money, wallets and car keys, said George. Telling them he had a gun and threatening their lives, the suspect tied up the Bahrs with their own shoelaces before fleeing in their Ford Windstar van, she said.

Police recovered the vehicle on Granby Street in the Saratoga area, around 11 a.m. Friday, George said.

Police are looking for a black male, 30 to 40 years old, who is approximately 200 pounds and

6 feet tall, George said. The suspect also has a bushy mustache.

Anyone with information should call the Suffolk Crime Line at 539-1222.

allison.williams@suffolknewsherald.com