WEST SENECA — A 55-year-old Buffalo man was arrested for attempting a stick-up at the Orchard Park Road TOPS on Sunday.
The suspect walked up to the customer service desk, asked for a pen and piece of paper, then wrote a note to the clerk which read, “Give me your money.”
The clerk refused.
The suspect allegedly told her “I will shoot you,” and she replied, “So shoot me.”
The suspect then grabbed the note and walked away.
Officers intercepted him before he left the property, but could not locate the note anywhere.
The suspect claimed not to know where it was.
After being placed under arrest, he began to faint and possibly experienced a seizure.
He was taken to the hospital with a police escort, since he was in police custody.
After being released from the hospital he was arraigned on charges of attempted robbery in the first degree and tampering with physical evidence, and remanded to the Erie County Holding Center with no bail.
The incident was among 60 complaints handled by West Seneca police on Sunday, according to a department blotter report covering Sept. 21-27.
Also Sunday, a 46-year-old Buffalo man was arrested for shoplifting from the same TOPS location.
A store employee called police while the suspect was still inside the store, reporting a known shoplifter was filling up a cart with merchandise.
The first arriving officer spotted a dark-colored SUV leaving the parking lot at a high rate of speed and pulled it over.
The occupant matched the physical description of the suspect and was positively identified as the thief by store employees.
He was charged with petit larceny.
On Monday, a 27-year-old West Seneca man was arrested for attempting to burglarize Royal York Apartments.
He approached one resident while she was taking out her trash, asking her for $20.
When she declined to give him money, he asked for a glass of water.
While inside her apartment, he stole three debit/credit cards and cash from her wallet.
Officers apprehended him as he was walking away on Seneca Street.
Police discovered evidence that he had tried to enter at least one other apartment, including damage to the door and door frame near the locks.
The suspect was charged with burglary in the second degree, criminal mischief in the fourth degree, criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, grand larceny in the fourth degree and petit larceny.
He was arraigned by a judge and remanded to the Erie County Holding Center on $3,000 bail.
