STERLING— Two men, one with a gun, attempted to rob the Chocksett Inn late Sunday night.

A man with a bandana covering his face pointed a gun at a clerk about 11 p.m. Sunday and ordered him to hand over the money to him and a male accomplice. However, the suspects did not get any money because the clerk did not have access to it, according to Police Chief Gary M. Chamberland.

Chief Chamberland said yesterday that the attempted armed robbery was the second in town in about a year.

The chief said the suspects took the clerk’s car keys, but not the car. He said he assumes the suspects took the car keys to prevent the clerk from following them.

He said the clerk, whose name he declined to disclose, described the two suspects as men in their twenties wearing jeans and bandanas to cover their faces. He said the bandana worn by one of the men was blue, but the clerk did not know the color of the other bandana, nor could he describe the suspects in more detail.

Understandably, Chief Chamberland said yesterday, the clerk was focused on the gun.

He said the attempted robbery is the first at the Chocksett Inn, 59 Laurel Wood Road, off Route 12. He said there was an attempted armed robbery of a gas station about a year ago, but the would-be robber did not get any money. No arrests were made in that case, Chief Chamberland said.

According to a press release from the police department, police from Sterling and West Boylston, state police and a state police dog searched the woods near the inn for several hours after the robberyto no avail. Chief Chamberland said the clerk did not go outside to see whether the suspects drove away or fled on foot. He said the clerk remained inside and called police within a minute of the attempted armed robbery.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call the station at (978) 422-7331.