Cops: Armed Robber Held Up Store, Locked Clerk in Bathroom

A Falls Township man was arrested and charged Tuesday night with robbing his neighborhood 7-Eleven.

According to court papers filed by Detective Stephen Reeves, Mark Breeden, 53, walked into the 7-Eleven in the 8600 block of New Falls Road in Falls around 4 a.m. last Friday and robbed the clerk of $380 cash at gunpoint.

While taking money from the register, the black bandana covering Breeden’s face fell down and the clerk was able to identify him, police said. The clerk later told investigators he recognized Breeden as a “frequent customer.” Breeden is a resident of the Pennsbury Woods apartments, which is about a mile down New Falls Road.

Breeden is alleged to have forced the clerk to the storage room and placed on his knees. The 53-year-old, according to police, then tied the clerk’s hands with rope and asked the man for the keys to his car.

Breeden eventually got the keys from behind the counter and forced the clerk into a bathroom and blocked the door with a wood A-frame ladder.

The clerk got himself free and exited the bathroom to see his 1990 Honda Accord driving out of the parking lot and toward Penn Valley Road, police said.

Police obtained security camera video from the store and noted Breeden wearing the same Penn State hat he wore during the robbery on previous trips into the store, according to court papers. Officer Jarrod Eisenhauer was also able to identify the Breeden from previous contact with him.

A photo lineup was shown to the clerk and he identified Breeden as the suspect.

Breeden was charged with three counts of robbery, and single counts of theft, simple assault, false imprisonment, receiving stolen property, possession of an instrument of crime with intent and reckless endangerment. He was arraigned before District Judge Daniel Baranoski at 8:10 p.m. Tuesday and sent to county lockup on 10 percent of $150,000 bail.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.