Pizza deliveryman shot, but continues with deliveries
an ABC Action News report 06/07/05
TAMPA - A pizza deliveryman was shot in the leg by a would-be robber, but still managed to complete his pizza deliveries.
Thomas Stefanneli's first delivery of the night Saturday turned out to be a trap -- a vacant house where two armed robbers were waiting for him. Stefanneli immediately knew he was in danger, but refused to deliver what the bad guys wanted.
"They were expecting someone to say, 'Oh here's the money, bye. Leave me alone.' Not someone who was gonna confront them back," he explained.
Stefannelli wasn't going down without a fight. When he spotted the masked robber coming at him with a gun, instead of running away, he walked right up to him and waited for the bad guy to make his move.
"At that point, he sticks a gun in my face. I took the gun out of his hand away from my face. I took my other hand and took him down to the ground," he recalled.
During that scuffle, the .32-caliber revolver went off. One bullet punctured Stefanneli's left thigh, exiting out the back of his leg and actually ending up in his wallet.
The robbers ran off, and Stefanneli -- not realizing he was hit -- continued with his rounds. He would go on to deliver four more pizzas as the pain slowly set in.
Stefanneli said a little adrenaline and a lot of dedication helped him finish his rounds.
"I had a job to do and I had to finish my job before I worried about my own self," he said.
The two suspects did not get any money at all from Stefanneli. Police are now looking for them, while Stefanneli is already back at work for Hungry Howie's, making his rounds.
