Shoplifter attacks Lakewood store employee with machete, police say

LAKEWOOD, Ohio (WOIO) - A 42-year-old Akron man is now charged with attacking a store employee with a machete-style knife Thursday evening, Lakewood police said.

The attack happened around 6:20 p.m. at Moon’s Food Store at the corner of Bunts Road and Detroit Avenue.

Lakewood Police Captain William Albrecht said the employee had a 3 to 4 inch cut on his face.

The employee told officers the attack happened as he was escorting the possible shoplifter out of the store.

The man was allegedly trying to steal a bag of chips.

After the attack in the store’s parking lot, the suspect ran from the scene.

A bystander recovered the machete from the ground and it was recovered by police who arrive on scene.

Albrecht said the suspect was located at the Lakewood Emergency Department where he was using the restroom to wash blood off of himself.

Chaun Cloyd is now in custody and being held on a $10,000 bond at the Lakewood Jail.

Cloyd is charged with aggravated robbery.

The store employee was treated at Fairview Hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

Captain Albrecht tells 19 News the attack could have been far worse and he would encourage store workers to never confront a shoplifting suspect who seems aggressive or violent, call police instead, ”First of all I certainly think that this is an anomaly a patron to have a machete and pull one out on a store employee but in the future we prefer that no one gets into a physical confrontation especially over something as minor as a bag of chips.”

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