Armed robber arrested within minutes of robbery

Staff report

BOARDMAN

A Youngstown man is charged with aggravated robbery, accused of robbing a Midlothian Boulevard Internet cafe and drawing gunfire from a cafe employee.

Michael Herns, 22, of Sunshine Street, is scheduled to appear Tuesday in Mahoning County Court in the township.

Shortly before noon Thursday, a man, later identified as Herns, entered the Golden Nugget Internet cafe, followed an employee into the business office, displayed a gun and demanded money.

The woman gave him money from the office, but he demanded more. The female employee unholstered a handgun as she argued with the robber. As they argued, another customer went to a neighboring store and asked employees to call 911.

The robber left the store with the employee following. As he ran west on Midlothian, she fired at him. City police said the robber fired back. No one was injured.

A Mahoning County sheriff’s deputy saw a man run into the Melrose Apartment Complex.

Officers from Youngstown, Boardman and deputies from the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department converged on the building within minutes, setting up a perimeter around the property. Officers wearing bullet-proof vests and carrying shotguns and rifles could be seen entering the building in search of the armed man.

Herns was found hiding inside the building. He was taken into custody without any harm to officers or those living in the building. Police also recovered the money stolen from the Internet cafe.