Man robs convenience store at knife-point ‘just to have something to do,’ records say

A man robbed a Lakewood convenience store at knife-point “just to have something to do,” according to court documents.

The 26-year-old pleaded not guilty Monday to first-degree robbery and was ordered held on $50,000 bail.

Charging papers give this account:

A man in sunglasses walked into a convenience store in the 7500 block of Steilacoom Boulevard and pulled out a knife as he approached the counter.

After stealing money from the cash register, he broke the store’s cell phone and left.

Police and the store manager reviewed surveillance footage of the holdup, and the manager recognized the robber’s voice as that of a former employee.

When officers went to his home, the man’s mother told them her son was asleep in bed but could not find him.

The mother looked at a photograph from the robbery and recognized her son, as well as a pair of sunglasses he was wearing.

At that point, the suspect came home out of breath and claimed he’d been out jogging.

Later, he allegedly told officers he may have been “doing bad stuff, just to have something to do,” records say.

The man also said he suffers psychological problems, had a past head injury and that people often steal if they are broke and hungry.

Although he has no prior convictions, the man is also a suspect in a robbery at a Lakewood country club.

This story was originally published April 30, 2019 at 10:07 AM.