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Robbery suspect shot by would-be victim
By Larry Altman
DAILY BREEZE
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A Torrance stamp and coin shop dealer shot and wounded a would-be armed robber Thursday, prompting support from neighbors who said the criminal “picked the wrong guy†to hold up.
The 79-year-old owner, reportedly robbed three or four times in the past year, fired one shot at the gunman at 1:50 p.m., hitting him in the hip. The suspected robber, Joshua Edward Reyes, 20, of Torrance was booked at County-USC Medical Center jail ward in Boyle Heights, Torrance police Lt. Patrick Shortall said.
The stamp dealer, identified as Kenneth Maloney of Harbor Gateway, was unhurt. His wife answered the telephone Thursday night and said he would not talk about the shooting.
She called him a “stubborn old Irishman.â€
Few people in the 1400 block of Marcelina Avenue knew the robbery and shooting at Mr. Muldoon’s Stamps & Coins had occurred until police swarmed onto the street. By that time, Reyes lay wounded under Maloney’s gun on the floor in the store.
“He picked the wrong guy to go in there and stick up,†said David Wells, a Torrance resident who visits the store occasionally.
Gilda Rivera, who works nearby at Travel R Us, called Maloney a “nice little sweet man†who has run the business in Torrance for about 40 years. In a recent holdup, a robber struck him, leaving welts on his temple and wrist.
“It’s a sad thing somebody would hurt him,†Rivera said. “I’m glad he did this. I’m glad he took care of himself.â€
Rivera heard the gunshot and was hiding at the back of the travel office when police arrived.
“We were so worried,†she said. “We said, ‘I hope he’s OK.’ â€
Maloney received support throughout the block. Across the street at Keegan’s Pub, bartender Colin Berry said he was pleased that the owner had protected himself in the robbery.
“I’m glad he got him, really,†Berry said. “I’m just glad he didn’t get hurt.â€
At a nearby beauty shop, manicurist Tami Trinh said the stamp dealer had been robbed several times.
“They’ve been getting him all the time,†she said.
Information on the previous crimes was not available, but Shortall confirmed the business was robbed before.
Shortall said the shooting appears to be a “robbery that was interrupted by the victim.†Police will present their reports on the shooting to the District Attorney’s Office to determine whether the shooting was self-defense.
The shooting was the second time in less than a year that a downtown Torrance business owner fired a gun at a robber.
On May 30, robbers tied up the employees and owner at Sartori Jewelry and Loan in the 1300 block of Sartori Avenue. They took guns and jewelry and sped away in a minivan, but the owner freed himself and fired bullets from a revolver as they raced away.
One bullet hit a robber, who a few hours later sought treatment for a chest wound at Martin Luther King Jr.-Drew Medical Center in Willowbrook. Two more men and two women were later arrested.
http://www.dailybreeze.com/content/bln/nmrobbery21.html
By Larry Altman
DAILY BREEZE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Torrance stamp and coin shop dealer shot and wounded a would-be armed robber Thursday, prompting support from neighbors who said the criminal “picked the wrong guy†to hold up.
The 79-year-old owner, reportedly robbed three or four times in the past year, fired one shot at the gunman at 1:50 p.m., hitting him in the hip. The suspected robber, Joshua Edward Reyes, 20, of Torrance was booked at County-USC Medical Center jail ward in Boyle Heights, Torrance police Lt. Patrick Shortall said.
The stamp dealer, identified as Kenneth Maloney of Harbor Gateway, was unhurt. His wife answered the telephone Thursday night and said he would not talk about the shooting.
She called him a “stubborn old Irishman.â€
Few people in the 1400 block of Marcelina Avenue knew the robbery and shooting at Mr. Muldoon’s Stamps & Coins had occurred until police swarmed onto the street. By that time, Reyes lay wounded under Maloney’s gun on the floor in the store.
“He picked the wrong guy to go in there and stick up,†said David Wells, a Torrance resident who visits the store occasionally.
Gilda Rivera, who works nearby at Travel R Us, called Maloney a “nice little sweet man†who has run the business in Torrance for about 40 years. In a recent holdup, a robber struck him, leaving welts on his temple and wrist.
“It’s a sad thing somebody would hurt him,†Rivera said. “I’m glad he did this. I’m glad he took care of himself.â€
Rivera heard the gunshot and was hiding at the back of the travel office when police arrived.
“We were so worried,†she said. “We said, ‘I hope he’s OK.’ â€
Maloney received support throughout the block. Across the street at Keegan’s Pub, bartender Colin Berry said he was pleased that the owner had protected himself in the robbery.
“I’m glad he got him, really,†Berry said. “I’m just glad he didn’t get hurt.â€
At a nearby beauty shop, manicurist Tami Trinh said the stamp dealer had been robbed several times.
“They’ve been getting him all the time,†she said.
Information on the previous crimes was not available, but Shortall confirmed the business was robbed before.
Shortall said the shooting appears to be a “robbery that was interrupted by the victim.†Police will present their reports on the shooting to the District Attorney’s Office to determine whether the shooting was self-defense.
The shooting was the second time in less than a year that a downtown Torrance business owner fired a gun at a robber.
On May 30, robbers tied up the employees and owner at Sartori Jewelry and Loan in the 1300 block of Sartori Avenue. They took guns and jewelry and sped away in a minivan, but the owner freed himself and fired bullets from a revolver as they raced away.
One bullet hit a robber, who a few hours later sought treatment for a chest wound at Martin Luther King Jr.-Drew Medical Center in Willowbrook. Two more men and two women were later arrested.
http://www.dailybreeze.com/content/bln/nmrobbery21.html
