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Would-Be Robber With Toy Gun Nabbed After Clerk Yanks His Shirt Off

A would-be robber with a toy gun was arrested after a Pennsylvania 7-Eleven store clerk yanked his shirt off, authorities said.

John E. Grubbs II

John E. Grubbs II

Photo Credit: Bensalem Police Department

John E. Grubbs II, 44, of Philadelphia, was nabbed Wednesday after leaving his DNA-stained shirt at the Bensalem Township store, local police said. They did not specify the store's address. 

Investigators say Grubbs entered the store on Tuesday, pointed the gun at the clerk, and demanded that he open the register. They got into a fight once the cashier realized Grubbs' weapon was a toy gun, police said.

During the struggle, the employee yanked Grubbs' shirt off, and Grubbs fled, according to police.

Responding officers were able to pull DNA from the shirt left behind.

Police later discovered that the same man may have committed 12 other robberies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. As a result, investigators were able to work with local police departments to see if the DNA matched a profile in their system.

Sure enough, the DNA matched Grubb's profile in the FBI Combined DNA Index System(CODIS), police said.

Bensalem police obtained a warrant for Grubb's arrest and with the help of the Philadelphia Police Department and took Grubbs into custody.

He was arraigned on the robbery charge by District Justice Falcone and sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on a cash bail of $5,000,000.

District Justice Falcone arraigned him on the robbery charge and committed him to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on a $5 million cash bail.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 5, court records show.

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