A machete-wielding suspect who tried to rob a Suffolk gas station early Sunday morning was chased off by a clerk armed with a bat, and police say the suspect is now behind bars in connection with a string of holdups.

Surveillance video obtained exclusively by News 12 Long Island shows the suspect enter the Valero station on Montauk Highway in Oakdale shortly before 3 a.m. The robber's weapon is visible in the video as he his mask.

But the store clerk can be seen hustling behind the counter and returning into the video frame with a bat, chasing the would-be robber from the store.

Police say the suspect has been identified as 37-year-old Ronald Fuzia, of Islip Terrace. He was arrested early this morning and he's now facing multiple charges after police say they tied him to several other holdups, including at a Shell station in Islip Terrance, a 7-Eleven, and at the very same Valero back on July 31.

People who work at the gas station tell News 12 that they're relieved the suspect is now in custody.

Fuzia is being charged with three counts of first-degree robbery. He was due to go before a judge on Sunday.

Fuzia's bond was set at $120,000.  He is due back in court Oct. 5.