KC store clerk retaliates against robber by whacking him with a phone

A quick-thinking store clerk used a telephone to reach out and touch — well, more like smack — a robber Tuesday morning who had punched the clerk and grabbed money from an open cash drawer.

The scene unfolded just before 11 a.m. in the 4200 block of Troost Avenue when a customer walked up to the checkout counter to buy a package of crackers.

When the clerk open her cash register, the customer punched the clerk in the face and snatched money from the cash drawer, police said.

The clerk grabbed the store telephone and struck the robber on the head. He fled with an undetermined amount of cash and was seen running south on Troost Avenue.

The clerk suffered a sore finger and a bruised face. She refused medical treatment at the scene.

Anyone with information should call the Tips Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

This story was originally published May 18, 2016 at 8:14 AM with the headline "KC store clerk retaliates against robber by whacking him with a phone."