OSAKA (Kyodo) A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery Wednesday in Osaka after being persuaded by a convenience store clerk to give up and quietly wait in the back for police.

The police said Ryo Miyata, who is unemployed and has no fixed address, entered a FamilyMart in Kita Ward at 3:30 a.m., brandished a utility knife and politely said, “Could you give me some money, please?”

The clerk, whose name is being withheld, instead said, “Why don’t you stop this?”

Miyata immediately said “OK” and put knife down on the counter, the police said.

“He looked quite timid,” the clerk was quoted as saying.

The clerk then put Miyata in a back room and summoned the police.

Miyata sat quietly and waited for the officers to arrive, they said.

Miyata, who had very little money on him when he was arrested, said he tried to rob the store because he was indigent.

“I did (the robbery) because I didn’t have money. I bought the cutter at a nearby ¥100 shop,” he was quoted as saying.