No-nonsense clerks

A 63-year-old Paradise man suspected of a string of armed robberies was arrested in Chico on Saturday, Aug. 10, after being disarmed by a pair of convenience-store clerks.

The suspect, Douglas Friedrich, wore a surgical mask as he entered Sierra Market & Liquor on Park Avenue at 9:18 p.m., allegedly brandishing a handgun and demanding money, according to a Chico Police Department press release.

Two clerks—Dennis Nieto and Mike Mawas—were able to disarm Friedrich after a “brief struggle” and hold him to the ground until officers arrived. Police noted that Friedrich appeared to be wearing the same mask and using the same gun when he allegedly robbed the Circle K 76 gas station on Park Avenue on Friday night (Aug. 9) and a Shell gas station in Oroville on Thursday night (Aug. 8).

Friedrich was booked in Butte County Jail for felony counts of armed robbery and possession of a loaded firearm during commission of a pre-existing felony.