Cops: Robbery foiled by game of 'keep away'

A game of "keep away" between a 7-Eleven store clerk and a customer foiled an attempted armed robbery in Coram early Saturday, police said.

Suffolk County police said that Rebecka Diaz, 19, of Coram walked into the convenience store at 2011 Route 112 wearing a scarf over her face. As the cashier rang up her order Diaz pulled a gun and demanded her backpack be filled with cash, police said.

Just then a man walked into the store. Diaz put the gun into the backpack and turned toward the customer, police said.

The fast thinking clerk grabbed the backpack, pulling it on the other side of the counter. Police said that Diaz jumped over the counter to get the backpack -- which now had money and her gun in it -- but the clerk tossed it to the customer. Diaz then rushed at the customer who tossed the pack back to the clerk, police said. She jumped the counter again, police said, and after a losing struggle to wrest the backpack from the cashier, she fled and was later arrested.

Police are trying to identify the customer.

A police spokeswoman was unable to provide information on the arrest. Diaz was charged with 1st degree attempted robbery and 1st degree criminal use of a firearm. She is scheduled to be arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip on Sunday.