Employees hold man accused in robbery at Jeannette beer distributor until police arrive
Sep. 9—Two employees of a Jeannette beer distributor on Thursday stopped a robbery suspect who fled the store with $219 until police could arrive, according to court papers.
One of the employees chased Martell A. Crosby, 27, of Jeannette into the parking lot and pulled him to the ground while the second employee helped to hold down the suspect, police said.
The incident was reported after 4 p.m. at Penn Avenue Brews and Jeannette Distributing, which are in the same building. Another employee told authorities that Crosby paced around the Penn Avenue Brews side and went into a bathroom for two minutes. Upon exiting, he attempted to buy a $2 bag of potato chips and stood beside the clerk at the cash register, tapping her leg with what he claimed was a shank hidden inside his pocket while demanding money, according to court papers.
The clerk told police she opened the cash register and fled, yelling to fellow employees that the store was being robbed. One of the other employees saw Crosby with a fistful of cash and tried unsuccessfully to hold the front door closed, but knocked the suspect down in the parking lot, according to court papers.
When officers arrived, Crosby said he wanted to return the money, which was lying on the ground. Surveillance video corroborated the accounts of the witnesses, police said.
He is charged with robbery, receiving stolen property, theft, simple assault and harassment. Bail was set at $50,000, and he was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison. A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 22. An attorney was not listed in online court records.
Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .
