CrimeTimeNews (c)

Philadelphia, PA - It was cold, windy and just before noon Monday when Rev. James Catagnus stepped outside the St. Ambrose Roman Catholic Church. The Father, dressed in street clothes, started walking briskly toward the warm, waiting car of a parishioner. Under his arm was a box that contained his church's $4,200 collections.
Just then a man stepped into the priest's path and asked to speak with him. Catagnus feared the worst. "I sensed what was happening." said the reverend who had been robbed two years before outside a bank. The minister made a dash for the car but, was cut off. He turned to run for the rectory only to find his escape blocked by another man. As he spun to cross the road, he saw a third man. According to Catagnus, "I practically ran into his arms."
The driver who had been waiting in the car ran to the rescue but, was sprayed in the face with mace. After a brief struggle, the thieves wrested the box from the priest and all three took off running.
Police, who believe the crime was well planned, have concentrated their search in the lower Olney section of the city. The priest was unhurt and the church member that was gassed was treated and released.

There is an old rule that says you should never take a knife to a gun fight. Maybe you should bring a sledgehammer instead. That's what a quick thinking customer used to foil an armed robbery at his favorite pizza shop.
J.R. Croy was waiting on his order when a ski-masked man burst through the front door of Stoney's Pizza on Lockbourne Road Saturday night. When the cashiers saw the weapon in his hands, they ran to hide in the cooler. That's when the gunman ordered the customers to the floor and began searching the office for cash.
While he was busy, Cory slipped out the back door and ran around to his pickup. He saw a mini-van, it's door open, motor running. Cory quickly blocked the getaway vehicle in and got out just in time to be confronted by the masked man.
As the gun started coming up toward him, Cory brought the 2 pound hammer from behind his back and landed a hard blow against the side of the robber's head. The man just stood there so Cory hit him three more times. "He just wouldn't go down." according to the good Samaritan.
Responding officers handcuffed the bloody and dazed man and transported him to an area hospital. They also discovered the weapon involved was a paint ball gun. For his help, the shop owner gave Cory a $500 reward.