Man shot trying to rob Toledo carryout

Second would-be robber shot in past several days
Updated: Sunday, 14 Mar 2010, 11:10 PM EDT
Published : Sunday, 14 Mar 2010, 1:27 PM EDT

Barrett Andrews
SOUTH TOLEDO, Ohio (WUPW) - Another robbery that went from bad to worse, police say, after a clerk pulled out a gun and shot a would-be robber.

This is the second shooting like this in just the past few days in the same part of town, but this time the suspect is dead.

The suspect was wearing a woman’s wig and brandished a gun before demanding money from the clerk at Bengal’s Food Mart on Airport Highway, Sgt. Tim Noble said. This all happened around 10 a.m.

They figure he was hoping to leave with his pockets lined with cash. Instead, he was wheeled out of Bengal's Food Mart on a coroner's stretcher. It was a deadly end to what neighbors call a brazen robbery attempt.

"That's the absolute correct word to use -- brazen," Mike Pietras said. "No respect for other people's property. I want what I want and I'll take."

Pietras lives right across the street from the store that sits on Airport Highway, pretty close to Westwood.

He says the owner's a no-nonsense kind of guy who's strict on crime of any kind, working closely with the neighbors to call in anything suspicious, or illegal.

"We try to keep an eye out," he said. "We don't put up with the BS."

"That's a good store owner," Pietras said. "They don't put up with stuff over there. Sorry to say somebody lost their life over it."

As sorry as he is, Pietras says, he understands it. The economy is awful, people are out of work and they're desperate.

Consider Friday's shooting over at Byrne and Airport. Cops say, there, Steven James walked into the Allied Music store, saying he wanted to to apply for a job, Sgt. Phil Toney said. He then left, but returned later and held a gun to the clerk's head during another robbery attempt.

When the store's owner figured out what was going on, he grabbed his gun and opened fire, hitting James, who - at last check - was taken to University of Toledo Medical Center and said to be in stable condition.

A gun-owner himself, Pietras says he'd do the same thing and hopes robbers are taking notice.

"They're working hard and they try to make a living," Pietras said. "I'm not giving it up without a fight. It's just plain and simple."

Police haven't released any names. We were told to expect some more information on this case Monday.

FOX Toledo photojournalist Chirs Poturalski contributed to this report.