Newton police are searching today for a man who forced his way into the bookstore at Mount Ida College and robbed it before fleeing into the neighborhood.

Police said that during the robbery, the man motioned to an object in his waistband, but no firearm was shown and the thief did not tell the store clerk he had a gun.

According to police, at 8:55 a.m., before the store opened for the day, a man started banging on the door. The clerk thought it was a student seeking to return textbooks and opened the door, police said.

The thief pushed past the clerk and robbed two registers of an undisclosed amount of cash. A State Police K-9 unit picked up a scent at the store, leading officers through Carlson Hall on campus and then to an apartment complex at 210 Nahanton St., where the dog lost the scent.