Postal Worker Robbed At Gunpoint In Shaker Heights

SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH — A postal worker was robbed at gunpoint in Shaker Heights on Monday, police said.

The robbery happened at 7:15 p.m. on Stoer Road, News 5 first reported. A masked man approached the mailman, flashed a gun and took the man's work keys, police said. The robber then drove away in a Nissan.

Police said they spotted a Nissan matching the postal worker's description later that night. The car initially sped away from officers, police said, but eventually stopped in Beachwood. The driver, a 20-year-old, was then taken into police custody.

Thieves have been stealing mail from blue U.S. postal boxes on Cleveland's east side, police warned. Multiple sets of postal keys have been stolen, police warned. Thieves then target gifts and checks and snatch them from the boxes.

"They are looking for checks that people have mailed to pay their bills and altering them, including the name of the recipient and the amount so that they can cash them. Recently we have received reports from residents in our community who have fallen victim to this crime," Cleveland Heights police warned.

"We recommend that for the foreseeable future, that you take your mail directly to the nearest Post Office and deposit your outgoing mail inside the Post Office," police recommended.