http://theh-p.com/articles/2011/05/09/local_news/4700620.txtArmed Walgreens worker foils robbery
Fires shots at gunman; workers unhurt
By JIM DALGLEISH - Assistant Local News Editor
Published: Monday, May 9, 2011 2:16 PM EDT
BENTON TOWNSHIP - They wore masks.
They wore gloves.
They brandished handguns.
But there was one thing two robbers didn't anticipate when they barged into a Benton Township Walgreens drug store early Sunday and tried to march the workers into the back room: A worker already in back carried a handgun and knew how to use it.
Benton Township police Lt. Delmar Lange said the worker fired multiple shots at one of the bandits, forcing the men to flee.
"He could see the hostage situation developing," Lange said. "He could not retreat any further. He was in the back room. If it was me, I would have done the same thing."
Lange said the worker, whose name was not released, saw one of the robbers force another worker from the front of the building toward the rear. That robber then saw the worker in back and started to pursue him.
The worker then fired multiple shots.
The robber tried to fire back but his gun malfunctioned. The robber and his partner then ran out.
Lange said none of the four workers were hurt in the 4:30 a.m. incident in the store at Napier Avenue and M-139. It's unclear if the robber was struck, he said. He said police are asking hospitals across the region to report if someone comes in with gunshot wounds.
Lange said security camera videos indicate the worker acted appropriately.
Lange said the videos show that the robbers were "very aggressive and very dangerous in what they did and how they did it."
He said the worker was licensed to carry the concealed handgun.
The robbers are each described as black males, about 6-feet tall, Lange said. One wore a gray hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.
The other wore a black ski jacket with white stripes running from shoulders to wrists. He wore a white ski mask and light brown casual or work shoes.
jdalgleish@TheH-P.com
