Customer subdues robber with applesauce:
A customer at a city grocery tackled an armed robber and beat him with a can of applesauce when he refused to drop his gun, police said.The suspect shot himself in the head during the struggle, and passed out after the 66-year-old customer administered four blows to the head with the Mott’s applesauce.
‘Finally, the guy passes out,’ said Det. Curtis Matthews. ‘There’s blood everywhere — on the floor, all over.’
About 15 customers were in Gomez Grocery in the city’s East Germantown section when the gunman walked in Sunday afternoon, jumped atop a small freezer and pointed the gun at store owner Eddie Gomez, police said.
Customer Thomas Santana, who is 5-foot-4, grabbed the 6-foot-1 gunman from behind when he was on the freezer, and with help from Gomez knocked him down.
The suspect, 23-year-old Thomas Reyes, was in stable condition at a hospital, and was expected to be charged with attempted murder, attempted robbery and other charges, authorities said.