Ellenton, Florida

From the Sarasota Herald Tribune of November 18, 2006

Motorist with gun holds down tip thief

A would-be robber found out the hard way Friday afternoon that restaurant workers aren't easily parted from their tips.

The unidentified man grabbed about $20 from the countertop tip jar at the Chinese restaurant Chung Shing without saying a word, employees said.

"I said, 'Hey, that's my money,'" said restaurant manager Diane Lin. "He didn't care."

He also didn't have a chance.

Employees chased him outside into the parking lot of the strip mall on U.S. 301 and behind the stores. A passerby with a concealed weapons permit stopped and pulled his gun on the man, witnesses said.

Minutes later, a Manatee County Sheriff's Office patrol car drove by and a deputy arrested the tip thief.

His name was not immediately available late Friday.