Nov 26, 2012 2 min read

A North Franklin Township man was arrested Wednesday on charges he robbed a Chartiers Township gas station earlier this month.

Matthew Clark McDonald, 19, of 498 Park Ave., is accused of robbing the Kwik Fill, 2230 W. Pike St., at gunpoint Nov. 13.

McDonald allegedly went into the station and pointed a silver handgun at the clerk. He reportedly stole cash, an energy drink and potato chips.

There had been a customer in the store, but police said the suspect waited until that person left the store before pulling out the weapon.

After the robbery, he got into a car that was parked on a side street. The vehicle then turned onto Pike and went toward Washington.

Township police and state police had been investigating whether the Kwik Fill robbery was connected with a holdup about two hours earlier that morning at a Subway restaurant on Route 519 in Somerset Township.

A car pulled into the lot at Subway. Two men reportedly got out of the vehicle, went inside the restaurant and left. One of the men returned to the store a few minutes later, brandished what he claimed was a gun and demanded money. He returned to the car, which left the lot and fled on Route 519 in the direction of Interstate 70.

Trooper Thomas Schuster, who is investigating the Subway robbery, said that investigation is continuing.

McDonald was arraigned before District Judge David Mark on the Chartiers charges, including two counts of robbery and one count each of conspiracy, simple assault and reckless endangerment. He was placed in the Washington County jail on $100,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is tentatively set for Dec. 12 before Mark.