There've been several armed robberies at corner stores in this Tioga-Nicetown neighborhood over the past couple of weeks. Thursday morning they hit Papi's Mini Mart, and this time an employee fought back.
"He saved my aunt, I got his back," said Jose Cox.
Jose's aunt was at the cash register when three young men in hoodies, masks and surgical gloves barged in. One of them shoved a gun in Agatha Adames' face.
"In my face and then in my neck," said Agatha.
Her helper, Pedro, was in the back of the store, struggling with one of the robbers. He smashed two bottles of fruit juice over Pedro's head.
Pedro managed to cut the guy with a knife, and the gunman came back to help, threatening to shoot Pedro.
"When that happened the guy said, 'Let's get the hell out of here. We got what we need. I don't know what we're still doing here, blah, blah, blah.' They just kept talking stuff and just ran out the door," said Jose.
It was over in a flash. The robbers got away with $1800. But no one lost their life.
"I only thought about my kids, honestly. That's the most important thing. I was glad, they took some money and some things, but they left me my life yesterday morning," said Agatha.
Pedro remains hospitalized with head wounds, lucky to be alive. The police want these thugs off the street as quickly as possible.
"It's a shame these people have to put up with these kind of tactics by these animals that are on the street out there," said Philadelphia Police Lieutenant George McClay.
Police are hoping someone at least recognizes the guy in the white hoodie, wearing a distinctive yellow and black back pack. And they're hoping witnesses in the neighborhood come forward.
"These guys can do this at 7:00 in the morning. They're masked up, they're walking down the street with surgical gloves on and they're all masked up. Nobody sees this? I can't believe that," said McClay.
This store has been here for seven years and this is the first time it's ever been robbed. The police want you to call 9-1-1 right away if you recognize the young men in the video.
