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St. Albans store manager throws hot coffee in armed robber’s face

By Guy Page

When a hooded would-be armed robber told the middle-aged, female manager of a St. Albans convenience store to ‘open the ‘f-ing’ till,’ she instead threw hot coffee in his face and then pepper-sprayed him. He then fled the store.

You can see the exchange on store security video aired Thursday, November 30 by News 5 reporter Anna Guber. St. Albans stores have been hit by eight armed robberies in 10 days. Knowing this, store manager Marie Paradis of Stone’s Auto Repair on South Main Street determined that if trouble came to her store, she’d be ready.

“I went and heated some coffee, and I double-heated it to almost boiling,” Paradis said. “Because I just had this feeling that if they tried something, I’m going to throw the coffee.”

Paradis then recounted how she saw a sketchy character wearing black approaching the store. She strategically positioned her coffee cup.

“He told me to open up the till, and I said no. I said, ‘You’re not getting any money from me,’ and he said, ‘I am going to shoot you if you do not give me that money,'” she said. “And then I said, ‘Then shoot me, because you’re not getting the money.'”

That’s when Paradis threw the cup of coffee in the man’s face and doused him with pepper spray. The man reportedly fled with a few packs of cigarettes, but without the cash he demanded.

During most of the episode, the man is brandishing a gun at Paradis. He did not fire.

UPDATE: the St. Albans Police Dept. announced today the arrest of James Ahl, 41, and Alan Talley, 39, both of St. Albans, in connection with the string of armed robberies.

See the entire exchange at News 5’s “St. Albans store clerks fights back against suspect as string of robberies remain unsolved.”

https://vermontdailychronicle.com/st-albans-store-manager-throws-hot-coffee-in-armed-robbers-face/