A 17-year-old woman is facing 15 charges after police in the town of Tonawanda, New York said she attempted to hold up a bingo game at a local Catholic school.
The weekly Saturday bingo game had just gotten underway May 6 at Cardinal O'Hara High School, when the young woman, armed with a handgun, showed up in the money room.
The teen may have thought a Catholic school bingo game was an easy target, but she quickly learned otherwise. Before anyone could hand over the money, multiple volunteers, some 60 years her senior, tackled the would-be robber, and kicked her gun to the side.
Town of Tonawanda Police records recount the incident in detail. The reporting officer, who entered the building with his gun drawn, said, "As I rounded the corner of the hallway, I observed approximately 4 males holding the suspect on the ground."
The gun turned out to be unloaded, and the suspect is not being named because of her potential to be charged as a youthful offender. But that could be tough to prove, given she faces 15 charges, including robbery with a deadly weapon and multiple counts of assault.
Carosi said while the volunteers' heroic acts may make for a good story, such responses should be left to law enforcement.
