ShawneeDispatch.com

Shawnee police arrested and charged a man April 27 for aggravated robbery and aggravated battery after he assaulted an employee at a Shawnee supermarket.

Shawnee police Capt. Ron Copeland said Robert Lowe, 36, entered the Hy-Vee at 13550 W. 63rd St. armed with a knife shortly before 10 p.m. Lowe, a former Hy-Vee employee, approached a store employee in one of the aisles and held the knife to his throat. The employee told Lowe to "knock it off," Copeland said, and Lowe walked away.

Lowe then forced the store's personnel manager into the office at knifepoint, demanding money. When she resisted, he cut the manager's hands and fingers. She began screaming, he ran away without taking any money. Police were called at 10:09 p.m.

Copeland said Shawnee police had already dealt with Lowe several hours before when responding to a report of a possible intoxicated driver. They found his car in the Hy-Vee parking lot and went inside the store to find Lowe, who appeared to have been drinking. They made arrangements to have a friend pick Lowe up and take him home.

Because of their earlier dealings with Lowe, Copeland said police were already familiar with his address in the 5200 block of Hadley in Overland Park. When they arrived at Lowe's home, police found him outside with self-inflicted wounds.

"He was holding the knife to his own throat threatening suicide," Copeland said.

The officers deployed a Taser on Lowe, and he was taken to an area hospital before being taken into custody. Lowe also was charged with criminal damage to property for damaging a phone and some items behind the customer service desk at Hy-Vee.