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Market of Choice employees subdue robber By Buffy Pollock Updated: Jul 13, 2022 04:49 PM A A A man with a machete who tried to rob Market of Choice in Medford Tuesday was stopped by store employees Employees at Market of Choice subdued a would-be robber Tuesday in Medford. [Mail Tribune/file photo] A machete-wielding man who reportedly tried to rob Market of Choice on Biddle Road Tuesday afternoon was subdued by store employees who pinned him to the ground as they waited for police to arrive. Andrew James Ceremony, 28, of Central Point was arrested by Medford police on a charge of third-degree robbery and transported to the Jackson County Jail, according to Medford police patrol Lt. Rebecca Pietila. Ceremony was no longer listed in jail records Wednesday morning. “The machete was mentioned by a witness, but he (Ceremony) didn’t actually use that during the robbery,” Pietila clarified. “The reason he was charged with robbery was because there was physical force involved.” Jackson County Jail booking records show prior arrests on charges between May 31 and June 3 that include unauthorized use of a vehicle, first-degree criminal mischief aggravated first-degree theft among misdemeanors. Charges have not been filed in any of those arrests. Jackson County Circuit Court records show no charges prosecuted since 2017, but Ceremony does have prior convictions for felony third-degree robbery and misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and strangulation. “They had this guy pinned down and he kept trying ... to get up,” said Medford resident Carol Harbison-Samuelson, who said she and her son-in-law witnessed the incident. “He was on the ... ground and they were trying to talk to him, maybe to try and talk some sense into him, but he wasn’t having it. “I just couldn’t help but think, are you kidding me? Walking into a store with a machete?” she said. “If I hadn’t seen it myself, I never would have believed it.” Market of Choice CEO Rick Wright praised his Medford team. “In every situation, the safety of our store team and customers is our priority. While we discourage engaging a person with a weapon, we are fortunate that our loss prevention officer is on site and has proper training for such situations,” said Wright. “He and our store manager handled it professionally, from an informed and trained position, and were able to subdue the individual until the police arrived. I want to thank our Medford team for their swift action ensuring everyone’s safety." Within minutes of Ceremony’s arrest, social media users began applauding the store employees for not letting the would-be robber walk away from the incident. Lots of gallows humor also was evident. “Maybe the guy was planning to cut prices,” said one user. Someone else reasoned that the store, which features organic and all-natural products, “should have had enough essential oils to calm the guy down.” Sue Tecmire, of Medford, said she has noticed more people wielding swords and machetes in recent months. Tecmire said she recently witnessed a man menacing shoppers at the Albertsons store on North Phoenix Road. “We pulled into the store ... and all of the sudden, a guy comes running across the road into the parking lot with something long and silver ... a sword or machete of some sort,” Tecmire said. “It was really freaky and scary. We called 911 … but Medford police had already been called.” Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 541-776-8784 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.