Clerk who fended off robbery calls for greater police presence
The employee of the Pick N Pay convenience store who fought an armed robber with a baseball bat last week says he hopes the incident will lead to a greater police presence on Dartmouth Street.
At about 10 p.m. on April 28, the clerk, who asked not to be identified for this story, was standing at one of the store's displays when a man entered the store, grabbed him, and shoved a knife against him, the clerk told Dartmouth Week.
The suspect, who was dressed completely in black with a mask covering part of his face, is at large.
The clerk said the robber dragged him to the register and demanded money. But when the suspect became distracted by cartons of cigarettes behind the counter, the clerk saw an opportunity. He grabbed a baseball bat and struck the man, he said.
The clerk managed to hit the robber two to four times before the robber fled, he said. The clerk chased the man out the door with the bat, but did not not follow him out of the store.
“I’m not Superman,” the clerk said.
Dartmouth Police are asking the public for help in identifying the suspect, who fled with cigarettes, but no cash. Detective Kyle Costa, a police spokesman, said that within minutes of receiving the emergency call, officers observed a red Honda Civic leaving the area at a high rate of speed with its headlights off. The clerk said he is certain that the car belonged to the robber.
The clerk stressed that the mile-long area of Dartmouth Street in the area of Pick N Pay is home to many late-night businesses and convenience stores, and he hopes that the incident will prompt a greater police presence, especially after 9 p.m.
Costa noted that the Dartmouth Police Department discourages people from fighting back in robberies, especially if the attacker is armed. The clerk said he only fought back because he saw an opening and feared for his safety in the “life or death situation."
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Detective Sean McGuire at 508-910-1733 or call the department's anonymous tip line at 508-997-9900.
