SHAMOKIN DAM -- It's hours before Sterner's Coin Shop in Shamokin Dam opens for the day, but the sign out front says otherwise. Lights were left on and signs of a struggle that happened less than 24 hours ago are left on the window.
"One of the guys that was in there brandished a handgun and struck the owner of the shop several times," said Chief Tim Bremigen.
Shamokin Dam Police Chief Tim Bremigen tells Newswatch 16 the owner, a man in his late 60s was robbed in broad daylight.
Chief Bremigen says two men came into the shop around 3:30 p.m. on Monday looking to sell to the owner. Things quickly escalated. The owner was hit over the head several times with a gun. The two men got away with cash and coins.
"After they struck him several times, he fell to the floor. That's where they bound his hands together," said Chief Bremigen.
A state trooper spotted the getaway car on Route 15. There was a chase and then a crash.
"Two of the occupants in the vehicle fled on foot. One of the occupants was apprehended,” said Chief Bremigen.
38-year-old Michael Rodenizer of Beaver Springs was arrested on state parole violations but has not yet been charged with the robbery. The other man got away. Police are now following up on some leads.
The owner of the store did not want to talk with us on camera. He did, however, have a lot of visible wounds on his hands and his head. He tells Newswatch 16 he came to work because he needs to pay the bills.
"It's really awful that it's getting like this now. It seems to be like they don't care. I don't know if it's drugs or the economy," said McKinney.
Jeannine McKinney lives a few doors away from the store and knows the owner.
"He didn't deserve anything like that. It was mean. They are pretty bold to do it around supper time," said McKinney.