YOUNGSTOWN — Police say they had detectives working a “proactive aggravated robbery” assignment Sunday when the Dollar General on Oak Street was robbed, helping them arrest two men.

Further investigation led detectives to filing aggravated robbery charges against Melvin Jackson, 18, of East LaClede Avenue and Edgar Ramirez, 22, of Detroit Avenue — not only in Sunday’s robbery but in three more just like it.

“We’ve been plagued by (armed store robberies) and we were afraid somebody was going to get hurt,” Youngstown police Chief Robin Lees said Tuesday of the reason for assigning extra personnel.

On Tuesday, Ramirez and Gonzalez were arraigned in Youngstown Municipal Court on four counts of aggravated robbery, charging them with the Sunday robbery and ones occuring Dec. 19, Jan. 4 and Jan. 8. Bond was set at $50,000. Both remained at the Mahoning County Justice Center Tuesday after the hearings.

Sunday’s robbery occurred at 9:30 a.m. at the Dollar General at 1504 Oak St. Two males with a gun took property and cash and ran to an unknown location. Officers obtained descriptions of the suspects.

Detective Sgt. George Anderson and Detective Sgt. Tony Vitullo saw Jackson driving a vehicle at Hillman Street and Dewey Avenue at 10:51 a.m. and tried to make an investigative stop, but Jackson failed to comply, leading to a short chase after ramming the detectives’ vehicle.

Officers chased and capured Jackson a short time later. Ramirez, a passenger in the vehicle, also was apprehended after information tied Jackson and Ramirez to recent robberies.

At 9:16 a.m. Jan. 8, a man with a gun robbed the Dollar General at 1370 Belmont Ave., taking cash from the register and customers, according to Vindicator files.

The store manager said the robber approached her, pointed a gun and demanded she open the register. After it was open, he took cash and then snatched eight packs of cigarettes and other items, the police report states.

A customer said she was standing at the register when the man robbed the clerk. The robber also pointed his gun at her, so she gave him her wallet. He also took the cat food she had just purchased.

In Sunday’s robbery, a juvenile passenger was taken to the Martin P. Joyce Juvenile Justice Center on an unrelated matter, and an adult passenger was released at the scene.

Sunday’s special assignment was carried out by Youngstown detectives working with the Boardman Police Department and local FBI office.

In an apparently unrelated robbery, a male walked into the CVS pharmacy, 2846 Mahoning Ave., at 8:57 p.m. Sunday and robbed that store. He was wearing a nylon mask and took cash and about 2,200 Oxycodone pills, police said.

erunyan@tribtoday.com