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Local NewsClerk Speaks After Pet Store RobberyBy Katie DeLong
MILWAUKEE - A bold robbery was caught on tape, and you might have a hard time believing how young one of the suspects is.
It happened Saturday at the Marine Land Pet Store pet store near 35th and Villard.
The surveillance video shows the clerk staying calm while the young gunman held a gun to him.
That clerk talked about what happened with TODAY’S TMJ4’s Melanie Stout Monday.
The video shows the two suspects enter the store and scope it out. Then, they pulled a gun and pointed it at the clerk.
The clerk calmly handed over the money. Meanwhile, customers were walking in and then quickly left the store.
The video also shows the suspect pistol whip an employee.
“I was really frightened on the inside. I just tried to stay calm and tried to cooperate with the person and not make a big deal of it and hope that they wouldn’t hurt me or anybody else,” store clerk Tom Dienhart said.
Police arrested the suspects Sunday night.
Dienhart was shocked to learn one of the armed robbers is only 15 and has a violent past, including three shootings, one where he injured a man.
He's also accused of several robberies and burglaries and had warrants out for his arrest.
“We don't take these lightly, whether you’re a 15-year-old or you’re 30, 40, 50-year-old. It’s good that our detectives and our officers were able to remove this individual so we could stop him before someone was seriously injured,” Milwaukee Police Captain Darryl Wenston said.
Police also arrested the teen's accomplices in the robbery a 19-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl.
“I was really surprised. So I’m fortunate nothing happened. It could have been much worse than it was,” Dienhart said.
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