A man who was allegedly hiding bottles of baby formula to steal them from a grocery store near King Street in Waldorf pulled a knife on a loss-prevention officer before fleeing the scene Saturday afternoon, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office reported.

The man walked into the store at 3:30 p.m. and concealed 19 bottles of formula. The loss-prevention officer tried to stop the man, but the shoplifter pulled a knife and fled, possibly in a dark-colored Ford F-150 pickup with front-end damage.

The thief is described as black, in his mid-30s, with a tear-drop tattoo under his left eye. At the time, he was wearing a black jacket over a black-and-white jersey, blue jeans and a black beanie hat.

Officer A. Duckett is investigating.

JEFF NEWMAN