BATON ROUGE - The Baton Rouge Police Department arrested a man who allegedly robbed a store employee back in November on Saturday after he returned to the property.

After a short foot pursuit, police apprehended Elias Varise, 20, and learned that he was previously the subject of a robbery complaint. 

According to arrest records, a store employee claimed that Varise was a frequent shoplifter. Upon seeing Varise in the parking lot on Nov. 22, the employee decided to confront him when he was allegedly struck in the face with a gun, knocking him unconscious. 

The employee told officers that Varise allegedly stole a car key from them and attempted to take a vehicle in the parking lot before fleeing the area.

Officers claim that Varise admitted to previously striking the victim with a gun, but said it was because the victim tried to go into his pocket, according to arrest records. He also admitted to taking the car key.

Varise was arrested on multiple charges, including armed robbery and aggravated second-degree battery.