SACO — A man who allegedly tried to hold up a convenience store with a knife to no avail was arrested Monday night after a brief standoff, according to police.

The sequence of events leading to the capture of Mark Cassette, 27, started shortly after 8 p.m. when he tried to rob the Saco Bay Variety on Beach Street, Saco Deputy Chief Jeffrey Holland said.

Cassette had allegedly threatened a store owner with a knife at the store and demanded cash, Holland said, but the owner would not give up the money, and subsequently reached for a lead pipe under the counter.

At that point, Cassette fled the store with the owner in pursuit, Holland said, and Cassette jumped into a vehicle parked across the street.

While police checked the area, Officer Kyle Moody observed a car matching the description of the one the store saw the suspect jump into and followed it to 14 Wilson Drive in Old Orchard Beach, where Cassette jumped from the stopped vehicle and ran into the residence, Holland said.

For the next hour and a half, Cassette kept Old Orchard Beach and Saco officers at bay, but eventually police were able to make contact with a woman inside the residence, according to Holland.

The woman allowed police to enter the home, at which time Cassette was placed under arrest, Holland said. After his arrest, officers learned he had consumed an unknown quantity of drugs in an overdose attempt and was brought to Southern Maine Medical Center for treatment.

Cassette will face a robbery charge once released from the hospital, Holland said.

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