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Store Shooting on Bristol Pike

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

August 24, 2005 -- An attempted robbery and shooting left a Bucks County store owner, a customer, and one of the alleged robbers with bullet wounds.

It happened Tuesday afternoon around 2pm at Station Check Cashing and Pawn Shop on Bristol Pike in Croyden, Bristol Township.

Melissa Sauer, an employee at the store, spoke exclusively to Action News about what happened. She says her boss was showing a customer how to work a DVD player when two men walked in. Melissa Sauer/Pawn Shop Employee: "They walked around the display cases and started... lifted up his shirt and started trying to pull out a gun and it kind of got stuck in his pants." Melissa says that gave her enough time to run behind and lock an iron security door to the back of the shop where she called police. "They were banging on the door for a couple of seconds and then gunshots, like 15 to 20 gunshots I heard." And investigators say the suspects were not doing all the shooting. Lt. Chick McGuigan/Bristol Twp. Police: "They exchanged gunfire with the owner. They both fled the store. One of them was wounded and one was not." The customer had been shot in the chest and taken to the hospital.

Police were on the scene in moments and captured the suspects trying to get to their get-away car about two blocks away on Charles Avenue.

The two suspects made a run for it to their car but they didn't get far thanks to the quick police response.

One of the suspects, identified as 21-year-old Pedrito Moreta of West Kensington who police say was armed with a .45 caliber, was shot in the abdomen and rushed to St. Mary's hospital. The other suspect, 19-year-old Walter Leon of Juniata was not injured, and taken into custody. Meantime, Melissa walked out to find shattered glass and her boss wounded on the floor. He called out saying... "'Melissa call 911! I've been shot.' So I called 911...I realized our customer was also shot."

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