SPRINGFIELD - Police arrested a 23-year-old Springfield man who threatened to kill a Sumner Avenue convenience store clerk during a 2 a.m. dispute over $14 in merchandise and an out-of-state electronic benefits debit card, police said.
Steven Tavarez Police spokesman Sgt. John Delaney said police arrested and charged Steven Tavarez of 18 Keith St. with armed robbery, destruction of property, and threatening to commit murder.
Delaney said Tavarez went into the Sunoco gas and convenience store, 730 Sumner Ave, at around 2:30 a.m. to purchase a bag of chips, a can of vegetable juice, a turkey and cheese sandwich, and some toilet paper. He gave the clerk a New York State EBT card to purchase the items. But when the clerk told him the card showed there were not funds in the account and it would not cover the $14.24 bill, Tavarez became enraged.