Reward posted for info in violent robbery
This post has been updated.
The 7-Eleven corporation is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in a robbery that left one of its Ogontz employees with gunshot wounds early this morning.
Surveillance footage shows two masked men entering the store, at Stenton Avenue near Gratz about 4:15 a.m., one of whom was armed with a semi-automatic handgun. They demanded money from the 22-year-old clerk, who was shot once during the incident, with the bullet striking both of his legs as it exited his body.
The shooting occurred when the clerk was unable to provide the robbers with money, after one register turned up empty, and a second one wouldn't open for him, according to Chief Inspector Scott Small.
After the shooting, the robbers fled the store empty-handed, running down Gratz Street to a waiting sedan, possibly a Ford, police said.
The victim was taken to Albert Einstein Hospital in stable condition. A 19-year-old woman who was in the store at the time of the robbery received minor injuries after the gunman struck her in the face with his weapon.
Anyone with information is asked to contact 215-686-TIPS (8477) or text a tip to or 773847. The 7-Eleven reward is being posted through the Citizens Crime Commission, which tipsters can contact at 215-546-8477.
"This isn't the first time 7-Eleven has offered this kind of money," John Appledorn, a spokesman for the Citizens Crime Commission, said. "They don't want him running around threatening people, and neither do we."