Manedwolf
member
What a piece of crap..lucky for the clerk. The thing is, I STOP at this station all the time..just the other night, in fact, at this same time. It makes me realize...if I had been in there, and I had seen this happening... especially since the BG had already fired, I would have had to have drawn and unloaded at this piece of human trash till he went down or fled.
(BTW, I just love that the guy was RELEASED in CA after being convicted of felonies involving firearms!)
Really makes you think, when a place you just were in gets robbed, with shots fired...
Nashua Telegraph
Article published Mar 1, 2006
Worker shot in robbery attempt
By Andrew Wolfe
Telegraph Staff
NASHUA – A city man shot a gas station clerk twice in the left foot after the clerk refused to hand over his laptop computer during a robbery, police charge.
Han Vinh Tran, 29, of 5 Blackstone Drive, Unit 4, is charged with two counts of robbery, two counts of first-degree assault, attempted first-degree assault and being a felon in possession of a firearm, police said.
The robbery took place at about midnight at Sonny’s Mobil, 543 Amherst St. The clerk, Joshua Mendolusky of Amherst, was shot twice in the left foot while struggling with Tran but was expected to make a full recovery.
“I feel very lucky right now,” Mendolusky said Tuesday evening, having already been released from the hospital.
Tran remained jailed after his arraignment Tuesday, his bail set at $1 million cash. Tran has an extensive arrest record in the Torrance, Calif., area, including a conviction for grand theft and charges of shooting from a vehicle, threatening and burglary, Sgt. Christopher Peach said.
Tran also may have been charged with murder in California, Peach said, explaining he was not sure because the California records were unfamiliar and somewhat unclear to him.
Mendolusky was able to steer police to Tran, who lived in the nearby Millstone apartments, because Tran had come into the store about half an hour earlier and bought a bottle of wine, police stated in an affidavit filed in Nashua District Court.
Tran showed Mendolusky identification from California and mentioned that he lived behind the store, police reported. The clerk jotted down the license plate on the Toyota Previa that Tran was driving because Tran was loitering in the store and struck Mendolusky as suspicious, he said.
Mendolusky didn’t connect his suspicions about Tran with the robbery until later, when an officer asked if he’dnoticed anything strange that night, he said.
“It was overconfidence on his part, thinking I wouldn’t have thought anything of it,” Mendolusky said.
Soon after Tran left with the wine, at about midnight, a man came into the store wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a scarf over his face and brandishing a gun, Mendolusky told police.The robber demanded money, and Mendolusky opened the cash register and stepped back with his hands in the air, he told police. After stuffing his pockets with cash, the robber told Mendolusky to hand over his laptop, police reported.
“It would appear that in addition to the proceeds . . . the perpetrator tried to take personal property,” Detective Lt. Andrew Lavoie said. “That kind of changed the dynamic.”
The computer was among Mendolusky’s most prized possessions and cost him nearly $4,000 new, said his mother, who asked that her first name not be used.
“If it hadn’t been for his laptop, I think he would have just let him go,” his mother said. “Now, of course the police have confiscated it,” and are holding it as evidence, she added.
In hindsight, Mendolusky said he would have just handed over the laptop.
“To be honest, I didn’t think he had a real gun,” he said. “When he shot it the first time, there was a cloud of dust and a pop. I looked down at my foot and I didn’t feel anything, no pain. It was after the second shot . . . when the casing hit the floor that I realized this was a real gun.
“I didn’t even realize I’d got hit until after the EMTs arrived, roughly 10 or 15 minutes later,” he said.
“I really didn’t think my life was in danger until after the second shot. Otherwise, yeah, take the damn thing,” Mendolusky said, adding later, “No item is worth your life.
“There’s very little he could have done with the laptop anyway, because it’s all password protected,” Mendolusky said.When Mendolusky refused to hand over his laptop, Lavoie said, Tran fired a shot toward the floor, hitting the clerk’s foot, and the two men began to struggle. Tran fired two more shots during the struggle, one of which missed Mendolusky, Lavoie said.
“He was actually wrestling with the robber,” Lavoie said. “The robber never lost control of the gun.”
Tran fled the store, leaving the laptop and several hundred dollars in cash on the floor, police reported.
Mendolusky was treated at St. Joseph Hospital and released later Tuesday morning, police said.
“I guess you could say I was somewhat fortunate,” Mendolusky said. “I don’t have any broken bones in my foot.”
The wounds grew more painful over time, however, he said.
Sonny’s Mobil had never been robbed before, said Ken Calabro, general manager for Fazio Enterprises, which owns the store. Mendolusky has worked there for about four years, Calabro said.
“He’s one of our key guys,” Calabro said, adding later, “He’s a very dedicated employee.”
Mendolusky called his manager from the store once police arrived, Calabro said, and the store closed for several hours while detectives combed the scene for evidence. A manager called Mendolusky’s parents soon afterward, his mother said.
“He called to tell us what happened and that Joshua was in the hospital. He sounded more shook up than Josh did,” she said.
Mendolusky called his parents from the hospital about five minutes later, before doctors removed the bullets from his foot, she said.
“He told me he was shot in the foot, and he didn’t think he’d be able to drive his car, because it’s a standard,” she said.
“I’m proud of the fact that he didn’t get himself killed, which he could have, very easily, I think,” his mother said.
Calabro seconded that sentiment.
“We’re just thankful that everybody’s going to be OK. It’s going to cost us a couple of floor tiles and some grout,” but the safety of employees is paramount, he said.
Police found the Toyota Previa parked outside 5 Blackstone Drive at about 2:10 a.m. Tran’s father and girlfriend at first told police that no one had used the car that night, police reported.
Officers checked the residence again later that morning and found Tran there. Police also found a Bryco 9 mm pistol, with the serial number filed off, in a coat pocket inside a closet in Tran’s bedroom, police reported. The gun was loaded with the same type of ammunition that had been fired inside the store, police reported.
A probable cause hearing is scheduled for March 9.
Tran had moved to New Hampshire only recently, Peach said. He was working as a manicurist at Regal Nails, inside the Amherst Wal-Mart.
(BTW, I just love that the guy was RELEASED in CA after being convicted of felonies involving firearms!)
Really makes you think, when a place you just were in gets robbed, with shots fired...
Nashua Telegraph
Article published Mar 1, 2006
Worker shot in robbery attempt
By Andrew Wolfe
Telegraph Staff
NASHUA – A city man shot a gas station clerk twice in the left foot after the clerk refused to hand over his laptop computer during a robbery, police charge.
Han Vinh Tran, 29, of 5 Blackstone Drive, Unit 4, is charged with two counts of robbery, two counts of first-degree assault, attempted first-degree assault and being a felon in possession of a firearm, police said.
The robbery took place at about midnight at Sonny’s Mobil, 543 Amherst St. The clerk, Joshua Mendolusky of Amherst, was shot twice in the left foot while struggling with Tran but was expected to make a full recovery.
“I feel very lucky right now,” Mendolusky said Tuesday evening, having already been released from the hospital.
Tran remained jailed after his arraignment Tuesday, his bail set at $1 million cash. Tran has an extensive arrest record in the Torrance, Calif., area, including a conviction for grand theft and charges of shooting from a vehicle, threatening and burglary, Sgt. Christopher Peach said.
Tran also may have been charged with murder in California, Peach said, explaining he was not sure because the California records were unfamiliar and somewhat unclear to him.
Mendolusky was able to steer police to Tran, who lived in the nearby Millstone apartments, because Tran had come into the store about half an hour earlier and bought a bottle of wine, police stated in an affidavit filed in Nashua District Court.
Tran showed Mendolusky identification from California and mentioned that he lived behind the store, police reported. The clerk jotted down the license plate on the Toyota Previa that Tran was driving because Tran was loitering in the store and struck Mendolusky as suspicious, he said.
Mendolusky didn’t connect his suspicions about Tran with the robbery until later, when an officer asked if he’dnoticed anything strange that night, he said.
“It was overconfidence on his part, thinking I wouldn’t have thought anything of it,” Mendolusky said.
Soon after Tran left with the wine, at about midnight, a man came into the store wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a scarf over his face and brandishing a gun, Mendolusky told police.The robber demanded money, and Mendolusky opened the cash register and stepped back with his hands in the air, he told police. After stuffing his pockets with cash, the robber told Mendolusky to hand over his laptop, police reported.
“It would appear that in addition to the proceeds . . . the perpetrator tried to take personal property,” Detective Lt. Andrew Lavoie said. “That kind of changed the dynamic.”
The computer was among Mendolusky’s most prized possessions and cost him nearly $4,000 new, said his mother, who asked that her first name not be used.
“If it hadn’t been for his laptop, I think he would have just let him go,” his mother said. “Now, of course the police have confiscated it,” and are holding it as evidence, she added.
In hindsight, Mendolusky said he would have just handed over the laptop.
“To be honest, I didn’t think he had a real gun,” he said. “When he shot it the first time, there was a cloud of dust and a pop. I looked down at my foot and I didn’t feel anything, no pain. It was after the second shot . . . when the casing hit the floor that I realized this was a real gun.
“I didn’t even realize I’d got hit until after the EMTs arrived, roughly 10 or 15 minutes later,” he said.
“I really didn’t think my life was in danger until after the second shot. Otherwise, yeah, take the damn thing,” Mendolusky said, adding later, “No item is worth your life.
“There’s very little he could have done with the laptop anyway, because it’s all password protected,” Mendolusky said.When Mendolusky refused to hand over his laptop, Lavoie said, Tran fired a shot toward the floor, hitting the clerk’s foot, and the two men began to struggle. Tran fired two more shots during the struggle, one of which missed Mendolusky, Lavoie said.
“He was actually wrestling with the robber,” Lavoie said. “The robber never lost control of the gun.”
Tran fled the store, leaving the laptop and several hundred dollars in cash on the floor, police reported.
Mendolusky was treated at St. Joseph Hospital and released later Tuesday morning, police said.
“I guess you could say I was somewhat fortunate,” Mendolusky said. “I don’t have any broken bones in my foot.”
The wounds grew more painful over time, however, he said.
Sonny’s Mobil had never been robbed before, said Ken Calabro, general manager for Fazio Enterprises, which owns the store. Mendolusky has worked there for about four years, Calabro said.
“He’s one of our key guys,” Calabro said, adding later, “He’s a very dedicated employee.”
Mendolusky called his manager from the store once police arrived, Calabro said, and the store closed for several hours while detectives combed the scene for evidence. A manager called Mendolusky’s parents soon afterward, his mother said.
“He called to tell us what happened and that Joshua was in the hospital. He sounded more shook up than Josh did,” she said.
Mendolusky called his parents from the hospital about five minutes later, before doctors removed the bullets from his foot, she said.
“He told me he was shot in the foot, and he didn’t think he’d be able to drive his car, because it’s a standard,” she said.
“I’m proud of the fact that he didn’t get himself killed, which he could have, very easily, I think,” his mother said.
Calabro seconded that sentiment.
“We’re just thankful that everybody’s going to be OK. It’s going to cost us a couple of floor tiles and some grout,” but the safety of employees is paramount, he said.
Police found the Toyota Previa parked outside 5 Blackstone Drive at about 2:10 a.m. Tran’s father and girlfriend at first told police that no one had used the car that night, police reported.
Officers checked the residence again later that morning and found Tran there. Police also found a Bryco 9 mm pistol, with the serial number filed off, in a coat pocket inside a closet in Tran’s bedroom, police reported. The gun was loaded with the same type of ammunition that had been fired inside the store, police reported.
A probable cause hearing is scheduled for March 9.
Tran had moved to New Hampshire only recently, Peach said. He was working as a manicurist at Regal Nails, inside the Amherst Wal-Mart.
