CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tyson had skipped lunch and remembers being “really hungry” that day in April 2023. He had $6 in his pocket, so before basketball practice, he walked to a Little Caesar’s in Tremont to grab a pizza. When the man at the counter offered him two pies for the price of one, he thought it was his lucky day.
Tyson took the boxes back to school and offered the first slice to a friend, who bit into the crust and found it “rock hard and not edible,” he says. He took the pizzas back to the shop but says the man behind the counter refused to exchange them or return his money. The 16-year-old got mad.
He jumped the counter and yanked two new pizzas from the warmer. A 62-year-old cashier told police he tried to stop Tyson, but the teen “pushed him out of the way.” A cook, however, grabbed Tyson at the door, holding him “in a bear hug,” police reported.
Tyson recalls it being more like a choke hold, which further fueled his anger. After a few minutes of struggling, the man let go, and Tyson ran away, empty-handed. A short time later, Tyson returned with friends looking for a fight.
The employees saw him coming and locked the door. They called police. Tyson was arrested.
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office charged Tyson with nine counts in the incident, including four felonies for attempted robbery and misdemeanors for assault and menacing. It was his first time being in trouble with the law. Tyson admits to losing his temper that day.
He says he fe.