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Granny Punching Robber Caught
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 16, 2010
Modified Mar 16, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 16, 2010
Modified Mar 16, 2010
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Last week, it was reported that a 91-year-old cashier at a Long Island Rite Aid tried to fight off a robber who punched her. Florence Critelli had said, "I want him to get caught because I want to smack him," and maybe now she'll get her chance: Police arrested a suspect yesterday for a similar robbery.
Newsday (subscription required) reports that Shaun Collins, 34, was arrested and is believed to be behind other robberies at stores. The M.O.: Use $1-2 to pay for cheap candy, and when the cashier opens the register, Collins would allegedly punch or push the cashier and grab the cash. Critelli told the paper, I'm happy they caught him because this way he can't do it again. I heard he did it to another woman the next day. He pushed her to the ground but she closed his hands in the drawer. After he tried to steal from me, that's what I thought I should have done."
As it happens, Collins was profiled by Newsday in 2008: "He admitted to being a drug addict and that he had shoplifted to support his $200 to $300 daily habit. In the July 27, 2008, story, he said he had been clean for 17 months, and he feared the psychological pain of his misdeeds more than heroin withdrawal. 'You have to think about the things you've done,' he said. 'The people you've hurt, the crime you've done.'"
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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