Posted on 10/31/2008 10:36:12 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
The have-a-go-hero, aged around 80, left the robber so stunned at being unmasked that he and his accomplice dropped their weapons and fled empty-handed.
He was the only person to intervene as the raid unfolded in front of a crowd of over 50 shoppers and office workers on a busy London high street.
Eye-witnesses said that the man showed "amazing guts" risking his life as he tackled the raider.
The pensioner stepped in as the two attackers pounded the reinforced glass windows of the branch of jewellers Ernest Jones in Richmond, south-west London, in broad daylight.
Eyewitness Nick Thompson, a 35-year-old technician who works in an office opposite the shop, said: "Some girls in the office heard a commotion and called everyone over to the window.
"There were two hooded guys having a real go at the window of the jewellers with sledgehammers. The glass must have been tougher than they thought because it took them a good 20 seconds to break through.
"It was busy day on the high street and there were crowds of shoppers watching.
"But these days people don't want to have a go in case a robber has a weapon. Here, you could see that there were two robbers holding big sledgehammers.
"Everyone was standing back when this old guy at the bus stop decided he was not just going to stand there and watch. ..............
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Arresting and prosecuting criminals is the best way to ensure the safety of the public and staff.
It shouldn't be left to octagenarian veterans to do your job for you.
I think the decades long emphasis on training the public to call for official help ,and then stand aside ,has been a disaster for western society.
Fact that all the younger people all simply watched shows what a bunch of passive sheep inhabit so many cities.
Nope! McCain is going to take it.
It's British for a man's cap.
Erm, no.
See previous replies by posters as to what a poppy is.
The spokesman is from Ernest Jones, not the police.
forgot my sarcasm tag.
On re-reading you’re probably right. It’s still a pathetic response. Their lawyers/insurers probably insist they officially take that stance. The only way to create a more civilized society is for ordinary citizens to take matters into their own hands, not by standing by and watching. This gentleman is obviously from a different generation that expects civilized behaviour.
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