Chief: Don’t Fight Back
By GABE WELLSWHEELING - Although he allegedly used a toy gun in a robbery attempt Sunday at a city pizza parlor, Robert Pasquale reportedly has been known to carry real firearms.
Troy Albert Pasquale was being held Monday in the Northern Regional Jail on a charge of aggravated robbery. The 40-year-old Wheeling man is accused in an armed robbery attempt shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday at Vocelli Pizza at 1127 Market St. After allegedly waiving a pistol and demanding money, Pasquale was taken down by a pair of the store's employees and held until police arrived.
The pistol used in the robbery attempt was later found to be a toy. However, Pasquale was arrested in January by Wheeling police on a charge of carrying a dangerous weapon. According to that criminal complaint, Pasquale was found to be carrying a handgun during a traffic stop. He also was charged with possession of drugs and driving under a license suspension.
During Sunday's robbery attempt, police said, Vocelli Manager Shawn Watson hit Pasquale with a stapler after the suspect began grabbing at the cash register. The suspect attempted to leave, but he was knocked to the floor and disarmed by Watson and store employee Steve Gandee. Police arrived, and the suspect was transported to the jail.
On Monday, Watson said the robbery attempt was the first on his watch.
"He came up and was messing with the register, and he was putting the pistol away," Watson said. "He had both hands on (the register), and I thought it was time to react."
Gandee suffered an arm injury in the fracas, and he sought treatment at a local hospital. Watson said Gandee is OK.
"I think when we brought him down (Gandee) fell on (his arm)," Watson said. "He didn't break it or anything. He is doing OK."
On Monday, Wheeling Police Chief Kevin Gessler said he was glad the situation ended without serious injuries. He added that he would prefer that victims follow the demands of robbers in such situations.
"It's tough to be critical after the fact," Gessler said. "We recommend victims give whatever the individual wants so it eliminates the potential for violence. In this case it worked out OK, but that's not necessarily the norm."
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krazykarl
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12-05-08 7:27 PM
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Wow. some real good opinions. and some hotheads, some of you, need to get a life. Hats off to the rest of you. It is a comment section not a fight. chill out. If a man has a gun and is walking away from you, dont chase him down, is the just of what I said...
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EllisWyatt
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12-04-08 9:49 PM
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Liberals want unlimited rights for convicted cop killers, abortion doctors, mothers who murder their children, gays, Muslims and anti-military protestors. They want to restrict rights on religion, guns and taxes. Am I the only one who sees this contradiction? Gays have unlimited rights? Where does the Constitution state that? There is no mention of Gays in the Constitution yet they expect unlimited rights? Guns are listed in the Second Amendment yet they want to LIMIT it? If you admit that your Constitutional rights come from man, you admit that man can take them away. Our rights come from a higher power. They are not for any man or group to take away. The Constitution places restrictions on government, not on individual rights. Your individual rights end when they infringe upon the rights of others. Owning a gun does not infringe upon your rights unless I use it illegally against you.
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wonderwhy
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12-04-08 2:40 PM
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thanks Getaclue. it's amazing how different folks think differently on what is 'freedom of Speech' nowadays, it's sort of like 'make things up, see if it sticks, then call it history!' just like there are plenty fo words that incite fear and terror that are not to be used in that fashion if to create harm
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GETACLUE
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12-04-08 7:45 AM
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"and by the way jeffww yes it does mean u can say anything u want." WRONG..... Hate speech is not protected as well as you have no right to scream FIRE in a crowded theater.
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Palmer
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12-04-08 6:05 AM
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we can debate any issue but the bill of rights it is 100% and guaranteed. It is not an issue crather it is fact.
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Palmer
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12-04-08 5:52 AM
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by the way, Ur biggest mistake jeffww the c onstitution doeant change with the times, Only with an act of congress and 2/3 of the states ratification. Keep living in dream world jeffww. but ur liberal judges cant protect u forever.
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Palmer
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12-04-08 5:48 AM
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by the way jeffww how would u like it if I took away youre right to say this stupid idiotic crazy crap that u just said.
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Palmer
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12-04-08 5:46 AM
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Ur right ltrrtl. and by the way jeffww yes it does mean u can say anything u want. The biil of rights is the bill of rights what part of that simple concept does your simple mind not understand. it means unalienable stupid and thats the end of it.
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LTRRTL
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12-03-08 10:43 PM
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Palmer - By the way, I understand trial lawyer like West Vriginia even better than Mississipi because they can get the dumbest juries to give out big money for stupid cases. Yeah, they might go for suing the good guys. That's why some people say it's better to make sure the bad guy is dead so that there's only one story to tell. I don't hold with that personally, but can see where others might.
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LTRRTL
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12-03-08 10:09 PM
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jeffww - Most people I know who regularly carry guns have one hard and fast rule, "The best way to survive a gunfight is to avoid a gunfight". They are the most mild-mannerd people you could find and glad to walk away from any kind of fight if they can. But, yes, if someone is attacking and can't be convinced to back off, a person is perfectly justified in shooting them. Yes, it's fine with God to do so. He Himself gave us that survival instinct. But. no, the Constitution does not change with the times. I hope you're less confused about it all now.
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jeffww
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12-03-08 9:45 PM
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not true about bill of rights they are not absolutes .freedom of speech does not mean you can say anthing you want !!!
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jeffww
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12-03-08 9:40 PM
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Make no mistake ,the constitution is very hard to understand .many different iterpretation .I do have a hard time understsndind it .the supreme court justices argue all the time .
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jeffww
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12-03-08 9:29 PM
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I guess we could go back to the behaviors of the old west .we could have gun fights at high noon
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jeffww
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12-03-08 9:27 PM
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I interpert the constitution ,as it changes with the times
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jeffww
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12-03-08 9:24 PM
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so what your saying is ,god intended me to own agun so if some one attacks me, it would be alright with god to kill them
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LTRRTL
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12-03-08 9:24 PM
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krazykarl - You chose your name well. Or maybe your parents "just knew".
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Palmer
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12-03-08 8:25 PM
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hey krazykarl how is it in krazyville. more people need to fight back against this scum with sometimes even deadly force. then crimeds like this will subside. by the way the trial lawyers need to f##k off. I dont think they would be suing if thier home was broken into.
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krazykarl
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12-03-08 8:08 PM
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It stated that he was leaving. The smart thing to do was to let him leave and call the police. By jumping on him as he was leaving they have opened them selves up to a lawsuit. What Mr. Pasquale did was wrong, and what the employees did is wrong also. They all broke the law. What do you think Chief?
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LTRRTL
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12-03-08 7:18 PM
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Just remember "gun control" isn't about guns. It's about control. The most draconian "gun control" laws began in New York City. The Tammany Hall political machine so that they could "issue permits" to the friends and allies of the gang which was in power and "deny permits" to opposing gangs. In the South, under Democrats, gun laws were passed to keep black folks from being able to have them. It's always been a "workplace safety" issue for criminals, including politicians, to have strict "gun control" laws.
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Palmer
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12-03-08 7:04 PM
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not that im a huge Rush fan or anything like that but im openminded to everybody and everything. The bill of rights are guaranteed rights and leave no room for discussion though.
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Palmer
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12-03-08 7:02 PM
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aint that the truth.
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Palmer
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12-03-08 7:01 PM
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Rush limbaugh once said "The ACLU is good because they stand up for the constitution, The NRA is bad because they stand up for the constitution
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LTRRTL
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12-03-08 6:58 PM
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palmer - I know that the selectivity of enforcement on these "domestic violence" things is particularly noxious. It is more often than not done at the whim of the cop or prosecutor. I had one experience of that sort of thing with an ex-wife angling for advantage in a custody case. It didn't work for her because the investigator could see she was a liar. I find it curious how much easier it is for felons to have their voting rights restored than other constitutional rights, but, then again, we know who most ex-felons are going to vote for so it's really no mystery.
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Palmer
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12-03-08 6:32 PM
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I do agree with having enhancement penalties on crimes committed with a firearm. All im trying to say is that when all penalties have been served wether that is in one year or forty years the crime has been paid for and u still cant take a constitutional right.
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Palmer
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12-03-08 6:29 PM
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Thank u lttrl for clarifying what I was saying. To getaclue jeffww and all the other followers out there its my rights today and yours tomorrow. by the way im actually a very levelheaded person so please quit making assumptions about someone u dont know. basically what has happened is that in essence if someone ever breaks into my home or attempts a violent crime against me then I have beenb sentenced to death. If i cant possess a gun then I demand to have a cop protecting me 24-7-365
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