An 18-year-old man who allegedly tried to rob four separate stores at Lake Macquarie on Monday left empty handed after each attempt because staff refused to open the cash drawers.
Police said the man first entered a pizza restaurant on Main Road at Edgeworth around 7.45pm and demanded cash from the register, but staff refused.
The man left and made his way to a nearby shopping centre where he allegedly tried to make off with a charity donations can. It was chained to the wall and the man left empty handed.
At a third store on Main Road, he again left with nothing when a store manager approached after he allegedly demanded staff open the register.
He finally entered a nearby service station where police said he demanded cigarettes but staff refused.
It was then, police said, that officers in the area saw the man inside the service station and arrested him. He was charged with three counts of demand with menaces intend obtain gain/cause loss and was refused bail.
