Chester woman chases off robbers with a broom

A couple of home invaders in Chester got a lesson early Thursday they won't soon forget: A 43-year-old woman chased them off with a broom.

The two men, described as being in their late teens or early 20s, encountered the woman's 49-year-old husband when they entered the home in the 2300 block of Madison Street. He was tied up, kicked, and beaten, and his ankle was broken, Chester Police Capt. Stephen Fox said.

When the man's 80-year-old father came downstairs, one of the men pointed a handgun at him and demanded valuables. The father, who suffered facial injuries and swelling during the confrontation, gave them $50 he was carrying.

That was when the woman raced down the stairs and attacked the robbers with a broom, driving them from the home.

The Asian family has a small grocery store nearby, Fox said. In the last few months, members of the region's Asian business community have been the targets of at least a dozen robberies, including 11 home invasions, G. Michael Green, Delaware County's district attorney, said last week at a community outreach session. Green said there was a perception among criminals that Asian business owners did not use banks and were reluctant to report crimes.

Chester police asked anyone with information to call the department's anonymous tip line at 610-447-7810.