A man will face court today charged after allegedly demanding money and cigarettes from four stores in the Lake Macquarie area yesterday.
About 7.45pm (Monday 3 February 2020), a man entered a pizza restaurant on Main Road, Edgeworth, and allegedly demanded staff open the register.
When they refused, the man left and walked to a nearby shopping centre where he entered a second store and allegedly demanded staff open the register.
The man grabbed hold of a charity can on the counter and attempted to pull it from its chain before running from the store empty-handed.
Shortly after, the man entered a chicken store on Main Road, and allegedly demanded money from the register.
A store manager approached the man who left the store and entered a nearby service station, demanding staff give him cigarettes.
Staff refused, and the man was sighted in the store by police patrolling nearby.
The 18-year-old was arrested by officers from Lake Macquarie Police District and taken to Toronto Police Station where he was charged with three counts of demand with menaces intend obtain gain/cause loss.
He has been refused bail to appear at Toronto Local Court today (Tuesday 4 February 2020).
