Customer armed with gun stops machete-wielding man who entered Metairie store: JPSO

A man who entered a Metairie convenience store armed with a machete and threatened an employee fled after he was confronted by a customer who was armed with a gun, according to authorities. 

The blade-wielding suspect was later identified as Robert Merritt, 37, of Metairie. He was taken into custody after returning to the store while deputies were still investigating, a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office arrest report said. 

The incident began just before 5:30 a.m. at a store in the 2100 block of Cleary Avenue on Friday. An employee told investigators the man later identified as Merritt approached him while he was outside the store, said Capt. Jason Rivarde, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office.