Anthony Strickland charged in attempted robbery of Austintown station

AUSTINTOWN

A Youngstown man is charged in the robbery of an Austintown gas station.

Police arrested Anthony Strickland, 43, Monday after he was identified as the man who threatened an employee at Certified Oil, 825 N. Canfield Niles Road.

The 24-year-old male employee told police that Strickland entered the store around 7 p.m. Monday, walked up to the counter, grabbed him and said, “Come here.” The employee said he was pulled around to the customer side of the counter where he managed to push Strickland off of him. He told police he pushed the store’s panic button because he feared Strickland was trying to rob him.

The suspect ran out of the store but was caught a short time later by police, the report said. Officers brought him back to the store, where the employee identified him.

Strickland was arraigned Wednesday in Mahoning County Area Court in Austintown and is scheduled for a pretrial hearing at 11 a.m. Aug. 3.