A man brandishing a semiautomatic handgun was unsuccessful in robbing Tasty Twist, 1307 E. Grand River Ave., on July 25, according to an East Lansing Police Department news release.

The attempted robbery happened at about 11:30 p.m. while an employee was cleaning, before closing for the night. The employee heard someone trying to open the barred screen door in back of the store, according to the release.

As the employee approached the door, a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt with a bandana covering his face displayed the gun and said, "You'd better open this door," the release stated.

The employee ducked behind the inside door and called 911, and the man escaped after an attempt to come through the door failed, the release stated.

Tasty Twist declined to comment.

"He felt the individual was not going to get in the one door," East Lansing police Lt. Kevin Daley said.

The back screen door is much heavier than those found in most homes, Daley said.

"The employee did exactly what he should have done - he got out of harm's way and called 911," East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said.

The man fled before police arrived at the scene. Officers used a K-9 unit and tracked the man's scent to the north, into the Brookfield Plaza parking lot.

East Lansing police have no suspects.

"A lot of people are so stunned that Tasty Twist was (almost) robbed," Wibert said.

If you have information that may be helpful to East Lansing police, please contact East Lansing police Detective James Campbell at (517) 319-6814.