UPDATE #2: 39-year-old Michael A. Thorpe has also been arrested in connection to the robbery. He has been charged with Party to a Crime of Robbery, Party to a Crime of Substantial Battery and Party to a Crime of Criminal Damage to Property, according to the Grand Chute Police Department.
UPDATE: Grand Chute police say two people are under arrest in connection the armed robbery of a coin store on Saturday.
The arrested individuals have been identified as 32-year-old Beau D. Wastel and 34-year-old Cory S. Schmitz.
Wastel is facing several charges including Robbery, Aggravated Assault, and Criminal Damage to Property.
Schmitz is facing charges of Party to a Crime of Robbery, Party to a Crime of Aggravated Assault, Party to a Crime of Criminal Damage to Property
Police say some of the stolen property has been recovered.
NBC 26 spoke with police and the store's owner briefly Monday, but neither provided an update on the condition of the victim.
Click the video above for Monday's updates, including the arrests and perspective from a regular at the story.
Original story:
Saturday afternoon at Affordable Rare Coins, a man hit an employee over the head and stole merchandise. Police do not have anyone in custody.
- NBC 26 has obtained exclusive video of the robbery
- See the shocking moments leading up to a man disguised as a woman hitting a store employee over the head with a wrench-like object
- Watch as the robber smashes a glass case and steals items from the store
- Grand Chute Police says the suspect is still at large
- The suspect is described as being a white male approximately 25-40 years of age, 5’9”-5’11”, 180-200 pounds, with short brown hair
- Anyone with information is asked to contact the department at (920) 832-1575
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
A robbery at this coin store launches an investigation Saturday. I'm at Affordable Rare Coins on West Northland Avenue where an employee had to run for help after an apparent robber attacked. We have exclusive video of the robbery.
In security video we got from a source who does not want to be identified, a man can be seen at the store disguised as a woman in a blonde wig.
The man in the wig asks the employee for help, then hits him over the head with what police say was a "wrench-type object," and chases him out of the store, where the robber strikes the employee again.
The robber then smashes a glass case and grabs merchandise, then runs away.
Kanu Patel owns the Northern Inn Motel next to Affordable Rare Coins. He says Saturday afternoon, an employee from the shop next door ran to him for help after being hit in the head by the suspect.
Patel says he and his wife helped the victim by grabbing towels to try and stop the bleeding and calling 911 which launched the Grand Chute Police Department's investigation.
"I saw lots of bleeding; I said 'What happened?' He said 'Robbery,'" Patel said. "And right away I call 911 and my wife came and she bring the big towel to put it [on] his head."
I attempted to speak with other store employees after police left the scene, but they declined to comment.
When we last spoke with police, they told us they do not have anyone in custody.
