A Yacolt man whom police said was armed with a knife was arrested Christmas Eve on suspicion of robbing a Battle Ground tobacco store.
The 50-year-old owner of the Tobacco Shop at 607 E. Main Street caught the suspect coming out the back door of the business, which was closed at the time, shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday. The owner confronted the suspect, who allegedly produced a knife and tried to stab the owner, according to Battle Ground police.
The owner was not hurt, but the suspect escaped in a gray 1992 Buick Regal.
The owner called police at 5:19 p.m. to report the robbery attempt. Six minutes later, police spotted the suspect and the vehicle at a grocery store at Main Street and Highway 503. The suspect, identified as Jacob B. Mattila, 18, of Yacolt, was arrested without incident.
Mattila was booked into the Clark County Jail on suspicion of robbery, and his car was impounded until it can be searched. Battle Ground detectives were to continue the investigation after Christmas.