CLEVELAND — A 17-year-old boy and a 22-year-old man were arrested overnight in connection with an attempted robbery at the East 81st Street Deli.
Police say they were told that the 17-year-old went into the store around midnight and pointed a gun at an employee but was startled and ran out of the store when a second employee came out of a back room.
We spoke to one of the deli's owners, who told us that the employee who came out of the back room was another owner who chased the robber out of the store.
Police said the teen jumped into a waiting pickup truck. According to police: "It is suspected that the fleeing suspect pointed a firearm at the employee, who then discharged their weapon at the vehicle."
Police say the truck crashed a short time later, and the teen and the 22-year-old got out of the vehicle and ran off, but nearby officers located the duo.
The suspects were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds. Their conditions are unknown at this time.
The owner we talked to said this was the first attempted robbery at the deli in 30 years.
Authorities haven't released any further information.
If the deli seems familiar, that's because it's the same one that gained worldwide attention when the singer Lizzo shared a TikTok video of a positive review of its chicken salad.
