LYNN — An 18-year-old Lynn man has been arrested for allegedly attempting to rob an Adams Street convenience store and assaulting the clerk with an electric stun gun on Friday night.
Eric Mackie was charged with attempt to commit a crime/armed robbery while masked, assault with a dangerous weapon (stun gun), possession of an electric stun gun and on a warrant for disorderly conduct.
Police responded to Highland Variety, located at 96 Adams St., shortly after 8 p.m. after a silent panic alarm was triggered. Responding officers learned that there had been an attempted robbery and suspect information was immediately given out, Lynn Police Lt. Michael Kmiec said.
“The suspect had assaulted the store clerk with a stun gun, but the clerk chased him out of the store with a bat,” Kmiec said.
Officers saw a man, later identified as Mackie, walking on Rockaway Street, which is close to the store, and saw that he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a blue bandana around his neck, Kmiec said.
“The officers were aware that in recent armed robberies of convenience stores, suspects had covered their faces with similar types (of) bandanas,” Kmiec said.
Mackie took off running after officers turned their cruiser around, and fled into some backyards. He was eventually stopped on Acorn Street and identified as the man who attempted to rob the store, Kmiec said.
Mackie was arrested and police found a stun gun, which resembled a flashlight, that he had attempted to discard, Kmiec said.