A clerk at a South Portland convenience store wrestled a would-be robber to the floor and held him there until a customer came to his aid Saturday morning, police said.
But the identity of the daring clerk remains a mystery. Police and the store’s manager both declined to release his name.
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Police said the clerk was working at Circle K convenience store at 690 Main St. at 5:48 a.m. Saturday when a man entered wearing a red hoodie and a black ski mask and, indicating he had weapon, demanded cash.
When the man grabbed the clerk by his arm, a struggle ensued that took them across the store, causing substantial damage. At the rear, the clerk was able to gain control, place the man in a chokehold and hold him on the floor until a customer came to his aid, police said.
When police arrived, Ronald Castrello, 45, of South Portland was arrested and charged with Class B robbery. He also faces 11 outstanding arrest warrants for unpaid fines and other violations. He is being held at the Cumberland County Jail without bail on the robbery charge.
South Portland police Sgt. Steve Webster said that normally police advise clerks to comply with robbery demands, but in this case the victim acted correctly because he had been grabbed with nowhere to go and reacted instinctively.
The struggle was captured on the store video camera. Police provided a photo from the video that shows the brown-haired clerk wrestling with a person in a red hoodie.
“The clerk struggled with the suspect for 90 long seconds until the incident was over,” Webster said.
He said it took the police about one minute to arrive on the scene after receiving an emergency call.
Webster said the clerk was not hurt, other than a couple of minor scrapes. Castrella was treated at Maine Medical Center in Portland before being taken to jail.
Webster said the clerk was tired at the end of his ordeal.
Circle K sits at the end of the connector road that links the Maine Turnpike with Route 1 in South Portland. It is in a neighborhood of gas stations, check-cashing offices and low-budget motels.
Beth Quimby can be contacted at 791-6363 or at:
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