Held up at gunpoint, man decks the robber

Memo to the city's gun-toting thieves: The next person you prey upon just might kick your butt.

Such was the case in West Philadelphia last night, when a 24-year-old man turned the tables on a menacing robber, according to police.

The young man was vacuuming out his car at 46th and Chestnut streets shortly after 7 p.m., when he was approached by James Wimberly, said Lt. John Walker of Southwest Detectives.

Wimberly, who had a stolen,loaded, .380-caliber handgun sticking out of his pocket, demanded cash, Walker said. The victim immediately handed over $30.

The young man, whom police did not identify, panicked when Wimberly, 41, then ordered him to get into his car. "He thought he was going to be kidnapped," Walker said.

What happened next would make any crime-weary city resident swoon. Walker said that the young man inched away from his car and then slugged Wimberly, knocking him to the ground.

The gun clattered away from Wimberly. Both men lunged for the weapon; Wimberly briefly regained control, but his victim managed to wrestle it away from him, Walker said.

The young man held Wimberly at the scene until police arrived.

Wimberly, of 54th Street near Kingsessing Avenue, was charged with robbery and related offenses, Walker said. *

- David Gambacorta