This bungled robbery in Long Branch was straight out of a movie

It's a little unnerving when a crime happens really close to where you live, especially when it happens at a place you visit pretty frequently. Even more so when it happens right after you leave a place.

On February 26th, I used the ATM machine and got a cup of coffee at the 7-Eleven on Ocean Blvd. Few hours later, the Long Branch Police Department received a call of an armed robbery at the same 7-Eleven on 554 Ocean Blvd.

When the officers arrived, they discovered the cashier had been struck in the head, with what was later determined to be a pistol. The dazed victim was not able to give much more information, but they checked the security video with the help of the owner, and could see a suspect enter the store with a gun, jump over the counter, and appear to fire the gun at the cashier and miss.

The guy apparently had pretty bad aim, especially when you consider an outstretched arm with a gun over a store counter is probably 6 inches from the clerk's face. When the would-be thief missed his shot, he apparently struck the victim with the gun instead.

According to reports, he then jumped over the counter and and attempted to open the cash register but couldn't. This guy must be sweating by now. Apparently out of ideas, he then jumped backed over the counter and fled the scene. Detectives were able to track the guy down and and catch him the next day.

Listen, I live in this town, and I talk all the time about how much I love Long Branch. I've also made it clear that one of the things that makes it such a great town is that we have a police force who are the best I've seen in any New Jersey town of its size.

For the most part, these guys are good. They're fair, they're tough, but they don't overstep their bounds or throw their power around needlessly. Here's another example of law enforcement doing exactly what our tax dollars pay them for.

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