Robber slain at recycling center

An armed would-be thief was killed yesterday morning when he lost a gunbattle with two tough employees at a Germantown recycling center.

The man, who police last night had not been able to identify, approached two workers at David Geppert Recycling Inc., on Wayne Avenue near Windrim, and pretended to be a customer who was interested in trash containers.

The conversation changed when he abruptly whipped out a loaded .380-caliber handgun, announced that he was robbing the place and shoved one of the employees to the ground, said Homicide Sgt. Anthony McFadden.

When the robber turned his attention to the second employee, the other one took cover, pulled out his own gun and started firing.

Within seconds, the second employee also pulled out a weapon, and all three men were blasting away, McFadden said.

When the smoke cleared, the thief was on the ground, having been struck at least three times. He was pronounced dead at the scene by medics at 9:40 a.m.

McFadden said investigators likely will have to rely on fingerprints to identify the man, because he was carrying fake identification.

The homicide was ruled justifiable, and neither of the employees will face charges.

"The district attorney's office read over their statements and the witness statements, and both men were cleared by the investigation," McFadden said.

The recycling center has been robbed several times in the past, but employees told police they don't think the unidentified thief had been there before.

Jim Jones, 44, who works at a textile business across the street and who took the accompanying photograph, said he ran outside when he saw swarms of police cruisers arriving at the scene.

"I think everyone feels good for the [workers] because that guy woke up today and decided he was just going to rob someone," Jones said. "He lost." *