Coffee, Beverage of Heroes
Two Halloween-masked toughs scalded, softened up by one cranky convenience store customer who hadn’t had his cup of joe yet, and let them have it. Boston Herald:
It was trick, not treat, for two would-be robbers in Halloween masks who tried to stick up a Brookfield convenience store yesterday, but were spooked when a quick-acting customer tossed hot java at the nogoodniks and wrestled one to the ground, cops said.
The men, who wore plastic fright masks and black sweatshirts, walked into the Cumberland Farms on Route 9 yesterday at 6 a.m. and demanded cash from the clerk behind the counter, said Brookfield police Sgt. Christopher Welsh.
But instead of the goodies, they got scalded - and then blitzed. A fast-acting customer inside the store, who had just picked up his morning cup of joe, threw the steaming mud in the face of one would-be thief and pushed the punk to the ground, Welsh said.
“He intervened by physically trying to hold them down,” Welsh said. “He ended up physically grabbing them and got into a tussle with them.”
The modest hero declined to comment when contacted by the Herald. He asked that his name be withheld, out of concern about the possibility of retribution from the perps who, though skittish and easily deterred, remain at large.
The spooked crims ran away without getting their mitts on any money, Welsh said.
“He saved the day,” said one Cumberland Farms worker, who declined to give her name and referred all other questions to a Cumberland Farms corporate spokesman.
Two messages left yesterday at Cumberland Farms corporate headquarters were not returned.
Police have taken surveillance video of the incident and believe the same costumed crooks have been working over other stores in the area. They say they think the same masked hoods robbed a Cumberland Farms in Amherst earlier that morning, as well as a Brimfield Cumberland Farms on Thursday.
As admirable as the mud-tossing customer’s spirit is, you probably don’t want to try this at home. Cumberland Farms $$$ isn’t worth dying for.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 1:50 am on Tuesday, September 23, 2008
One Response to “Coffee, Beverage of Heroes”
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September 23rd, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Cumberland Farms $$$ isn’t worth dying for.
Convenience store clerks are always told by their employers to hand over the money without protest for that very reason. Unfortunately, a lot of robbers know that. While the customer took a big chance that the thugs didn’t, or wouldn’t, use a weapon on him, he’s at least taken away some of their arrogant confidence that they can get away with anything.