Two 16-year-olds face robbery charges after they allegedly strong-armed a clerk at the 7-Eleven at 205 Harlem Ave. in Forest Park on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

Both teens were sent to a juvenile detention center, according to the Forest Park Review's police blotter, first reported by Jessica Mordacq on Sept. 28. The store sits on Harlem Avenue at the Oak Park border and serves shoppers from both communities.

Forest Park officers conducting a premise check on South Boulevard in Oak Park spotted two young men matching the suspects' description and detained them. The 7-Eleven employee positively identified both 16-year-olds and the stolen cigars.

The employee had told police he saw two teenagers loitering inside the store around 9:45 p.m. and confronted them. The two left for the parking lot. Once other customers exited, the teens allegedly returned. One grabbed the employee and pushed him away from the cashier's counter, then went behind the counter, took several cigars and left, according to the police report.

As officers placed the teens in custody, one fled on foot. Police caught him after a brief pursuit. That teen was charged with robbery and resisting an officer. The second was charged with robbery.

No juvenile court date for the two teens has been announced.