Judge to Suspect: That's a BB Gun; Suspect to Judge: Want to Bet on It?
Two soldiers have been charged in the armed robbery and wounding of a New York judge who reportedly suffered puncture wounds to his hand and face as he resisted an attempted theft of his wallet in a shopping mall parking lot.
According to a deposition by Jefferson County Surrogate Judge Peter Schwerzmann, he and his wife had just finished loading packages into their van when Schwerzmann heard a man demand money, reports the Watertown Daily Times.
Turning around, Schwerzmann saw a man holding what appeared to be a pellet gun and told him, “That’s just a BB gun,” the deposition continues.
The suspect replied: “Are you sure? Do you want to bet on that?”
Schwerzmann reached for his wallet, then hesitated, and was shot multiple times with what was indeed a pellet gun, the newspaper recounts.
Two suspects in the December incident, Danny Thompson Jr., 19, and James G. Lawson, 19, who are both soldiers at Fort Drum, were arraigned yesterday in Watertown Town Court. Both have been charged with first-degree robbery, and Thompson additionally is charged with second-degree assault. They are being held in lieu of $75,000 bail.
