Robber says he's tired of old ladies beating him up

From the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Bedinghaus, 21, of Westwood, gave a full confession to police, telling them the fights both women put up convinced him he wants to give up robbing older women.

"In his own words, he's going to refer to the fact that in both these cases he 'kept getting his ass beat' by old ladies," Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor Gwen Bender said, quoting Bedinghaus' statement to police.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Steve!

Team of ninjas saves the day

Three muggers chase their victim down a dark alley ... and into a school for ninjas.

"We started running towards them and they took off. They would have seen five of us in ninja gear...all in black with our belts on, running toward them."

Police: Teen punched boy, stole puppy

In Salina, an 18-year-old is accused of punching a 9-year-old boy in the eye and stealing his puppy when he wouldn't willingly hand it over, police tell the AP. The female suspect has been arrested.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Keith G in PV!

Satan implicated in bank robbery

A Minnesota man pleaded guilty to bank robbery yesterday, citing the well-known Geraldine Jones defense.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM!

There is a special place in Hell ...

... for someone who would wrestle a blind man's cane out of his hand, giggling all the while.

Bank robber blamed gambling debts, prosecutors say

Joseph G. Markham, 39, of Olathe, has been sentenced to 70 months for robbing First National Bank in Overland Park last September, the U.S. Attorney for Kansas reports. He reportedly told authorities that he'd lost money while gambling and committed the crime to pay his bills.

He's just lucky she didn't have her walker with her

In St. Paul, a 65-year-old woman chased down the man who stole her 85-year-old mother's purse and then used her cane to defend herself from his knife.

The weapon? A bottle of Colt 45

Well, they always say those things are bad for you.

Toilet Paper Bandit captured, police say

Residents of Lincoln, Neb., can rest easy. Police there say they've arrested the so-called Toilet Paper Bandit -- a robber who was known for wearing toilet paper around his face as a mask.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, cripjak!

Female bank robber tries to eat holdup note

A 40-year-old woman had second thoughts about robbing a Columbus, Ohio bank -- once she noticed a uniformed police officer standing in line behind her.

The woman grabbed the holdup note she had just given the teller and fled. Bank employees say she tried to swallow it.

Hat Tip: cripjak

| Bob Cronkleton

Robbers don't choose victim wisely

Three would-be robbers, at least one of whom was armed, picked the wrong person as an intended victim.

They approached what turned out to be an off-duty Chicago police officer who was sitting in his parked car.

After they ordered him out, the officer exited, identified himself as a police officer and then opened fire. The assailants fled. Police have not arrested anyone in connection with the attempted armed robbery.

| Bob Cronkleton

When art is too much like real life

During the filming of the low-budget movie "Jesse," a woman thought a hold-up scene appeared too real and called 911.

The actor, who was holding an unloaded firearm, wisely complied with responding police officers when ordered to drop the gun.

Needless to say, police and others were not amused that they weren't told about the filming in advance. The filmmakers also didn't have a permit.

| Bob Cronkleton

Fatal crash gives police sense of déjà vu

In July 2007, Jeffrey Banks, along with an accomplice, robbed a man and his girlfriend at gunpoint at a gas station. The victims gave chased while calling police. As police caught up with the two robbers, they crashed into another car.

Flash forward to Wednesday:

Banks and another man allegedly robbed two people at a gas station just four blocks away from the previous robbery. The two fled with another person in Ford Excursion. The victims too gave chase. As police began chasing the SUV, it flipped. This time, killing Banks.

| Bob Cronkleton

Viagra Bandit on the loose in NYC

He's got a gun, nearly $3,000 and an unknown quantity of Viagra pills. Sounds like somebody's ready for date night.

KC man indicted in bank robbery

Derrick T. Hubbard, 20, has been indicted for allegedly robbing a Commerce Bank at 46th and Wornall on April 22, the U.S. Attorney for Western Missouri reports. Authorities say more than $11,000 was stolen in the holdup.

Team of robbers uses Craigslist, police say

Near Seattle, police are investigating a pair of robberies where the victims offered to sell something on Craigslist -- and were later robbed at their homes. In one case, the homeowner was shot and killed after he tried to stop the bad guys from pistol-whipping his 14-year-old son.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Tim P!

Getaway vehicle had a baby onboard, police allege

For the love of Pete, what kind of person drags a 1-year-old along on an overnight robbery spree? Bob Cronkleton has the story here.

Photos released in Indy bank robbery

The FBI just sent out an alert saying that Hawthorne Bank, 17430 East 39th in Independence, was robbed a short time ago. Luckily, nobody was hurt. They're going to send more details as they become available.

UPDATED: The suspect is about 5 feet 10 to 6 feet tall, and he weighs about 200 to 220 pounds. He was wearing a camo hoodie, dark pants and sunglasses. He had a white-and-red, FedEx-style bag.

The FBI says he took a customer's white Ford Windstar minivan in the parking lot. Police found it later near 39th and Berry.

A break in Missouri bank robberies?

Yesterday, police arrested a man suspected of robbing First Community National Bank in Cuba, Mo. At this point, he hasn't been charged. The FBI is trying to see whether he's connected to a yearlong series of robberies in Moberly, Chillicothe, Sedalia, Rolla and El Dorado Springs. The photo above is from the Moberly holdup; I don't have any images from the Cuba one. To look at the other incidents, visit bandittrackerkansascity.com.

VIDEO: Elderly clerk stops robber

Case is from Virginia. I like she actually tries to run after him.

KC teen pleads guilty in fatal robbery

Anthony President, 17, has pleaded to guilty to first-degree robbery for his part in a botched holdup that left one suspect dead, the Jeff City paper reports. (President, a KC resident, had faced a second-degree murder charge, but that was dropped a couple of months ago.) Prosecutors allege that President was part of a group that planned to steal $40,000 from a mobile home. Only a person staying there fired a gun, hitting and killing Lamar Gardner, 19, of Kansas City.

It's all fun and games until someone loses a finger

From Christine Vendel: An intruder nearly lost a finger early Sunday when he broke into an apartment and grabbed a knife that the resident was holding.

Robber used toilet paper as mask

It happened in Lincoln, Neb., and sadly, the bad guy got away -- which is too bad, because I wanted to see the photograph of him "in costume."

When you gotta go ...

In Virginia, police didn't have to go too far to find a suspect in a convenience store robbery. They say he was behind the store, urinating, and was allegedly carrying the stolen cash. He's facing charges of robbery and public urination.

Team of robbers hits ice-cream truck

From Christine Vendel: An ice cream truck driver reported she was boxed in by two vehicles and robbed at gunpoint last night. The victim said she had parked her Frosty Ice Cream truck at 39th Street and Euclid Avenue just before 9 p.m. and was sitting in her truck when two vehicles blocked her truck, and four men wearing black hoodies jumped out of the vehicles.

One suspect reportedly pushed a gun to the victim’s head and said, “(Expletive) give me the money or I’ll shoot you in the head! And I’m not playing,” according to police reports.