Truth is Stranger than Fiction 2007.5

Christian Bookstore Manager Foils Robber

From Associated Press
February 22, 2007 5:37 PM EST

MESA, Ariz. - The night manager of a Christian bookstore foiled an armed robbery by slamming the man's hand in the cash register drawer, then wrestling with him before he fled, police said. "I didn't want to hurt him, but if I would've gotten a hold of him, I would've sent him straight to the Lord," said manager Daniel Stanton, a 58-year-old retired aerospace engineer who served two tours in Vietnam.

Scottsdale police said the incident happened Tuesday night at the Jesus Chapel Discount Bookstore in south Scottsdale. A scruffy-looking man wearing a black hooded sweat shirt and dark pants entered about 8 p.m., and minutes later approached Stanton with his hand in his pocket, saying he had a gun and demanding money, according to a police report.

"I just backed away and said, 'The drawer is open,' Stanton said. "Then, when he showed both of his hands, I just went off on him."

After slamming the man's hand in the register, the pair wrestled on the floor until the man got up and ran outside, jumping into an SUV and speeding away.

Stanton said he and a witness were unable to see a license plate number because the man pulled away in reverse.

The man made a clean getaway, but the bookstore workers don't hold a grudge.

"The workers prayed for him," Stanton said. "We hope he turns his life around."

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Information from: East Valley Tribune/Scottsdale Tribune, http://www.aztrib.com