Crime

St. Albans store manager throws hot coffee in armed robber’s face

Stillshot from store surveillance video aired on News 5

By Guy Page

When a hooded would-be armed robber told the middle-aged, female manager of a St. Albans convenience store to ‘open the ‘f-ing’ till,’ she instead threw hot coffee in his face and then pepper-sprayed him. He then fled the store.

You can see the exchange on store security video aired Thursday, November 30 by News 5 reporter Anna Guber. St. Albans stores have been hit by eight armed robberies in 10 days. Knowing this, store manager Marie Paradis of Stone’s Auto Repair on South Main Street determined that if trouble came to her store, she’d be ready. 

“I went and heated some coffee, and I double-heated it to almost boiling,” Paradis said. “Because I just had this feeling that if they tried something, I’m going to throw the coffee.”

Paradis then recounted how she saw a sketchy character wearing black approaching the store. She strategically positioned her coffee cup.

“He told me to open up the till, and I said no. I said, ‘You’re not getting any money from me,’ and he said, ‘I am going to shoot you if you do not give me that money,'” she said. “And then I said, ‘Then shoot me, because you’re not getting the money.'”

That’s when Paradis threw the cup of coffee in the man’s face and doused him with pepper spray. The man reportedly fled with a few packs of cigarettes, but without the cash he demanded. 

During most of the episode, the man is brandishing a gun at Paradis. He did not fire. 

UPDATE: the St. Albans Police Dept. announced today the arrest of James Ahl, 41, and Alan Talley, 39, both of St. Albans, in connection with the string of armed robberies.

See the entire exchange at News 5’s “St. Albans store clerks fights back against suspect as string of robberies remain unsolved.”


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Categories: Crime

24 replies »

  1. Good for her!!! Too bad she’ll probably see some backlash from the scumbags and attorneys that are helping the “victim”.

  2. My Heroine!!!!! At a girl! Way to go! Another woman with bigger cajones than ANY one of the democrat or RINO spineless, flaccid, impotent males in Montpelier.

    Now watch as more of these limp-wristed cowards attempt to charge Ms. Paradis with a crime! Do it from afar, cowards…..waaaaaaay “afar”! And as you draw up your fake criminal complaint, I’ll be taking this “take no prisoners” gal to lunch! There, I’ll be recommending bear-spray as opposed to pepper-spray, & her nixing the boiling water in favor of a sawed-off shotgun.

    And enjoy your smokes, you penny-ante loser! Eyes still tearin’? Awwwww………

    • Kathleen, I would agree…except a sawed off shotgun would get her in a heap of trouble. A good legally short upland bird hunting shotgun would do the trick or a compact personal carry handgun… my fave, .357 magnum revolver, one and done. Sadly here in the Marxist republic of VT, she would likely be the one charged, I think the fruitcakes in Montpeculiar have it set up that we the victims have a responsibility to retreat, but I may be mistaken about that.

  3. What is the over under before Sarah charges her with assault?

    My bet is on the under.

  4. Hot coffee, it should have been hot lead, it’s time, people start waking up and start
    responding to the hooded face face-covered cowards with force………………………..

    Has the law enforcement, found this POS, with a burned-up face, congratulation to
    Marie for standing up !!

  5. Since our justice system is so broken nobody gets prosecuted more angry citizens will take justice into their own hands. Wake up Vermont, our justice system and progressive legislators want chaos, anarchy and civil unrest…so they can then use Martial Law to enslave us.

  6. The outcome could have ended different, thank God it didn’t.
    Once someone threatens another with a gun, the response should be instant and overwhelming.
    Unless and until the ” justice system ” in VT is replaced with Constitutional Americans protecting law abiding citizens instead of coddling criminals the likelihood of small business owners having to defend themselves is going to continue.
    The Police are facing two enemies, the criminals on the street and the criminals in the State Attorney’s offices.

  7. And did you notice, in the video, how calm and matter of fact she was when relaying the incident?
    I love that woman!!

  8. A true story as I know these people personally:

    There is a deli in N. Springfield VT where the owners and employees carry guns on their hips holstered. They have a sign on the front door that the employees are armed. THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN ROBBED OR HELD UP.

    There is a gas station about a mile from them where the clerks are not armed, with a policy of just give them the money, don’t fight back. THEY HAVE BEEN ROBBED SEVERAL TIMES.

    I think a more prudent policy of these business should be, Nemo Me Impune Lacessit.
    No one attacks me with impunity.

  9. God bless Marie Paradis – a smart, intuitive warrior. Any official who attempts to lay charges on her or any person raising a tongue against her will not prevail or prosper. Girded up and armoured up – as we all should be now – well done and much respect!

  10. Risking your life for insured money you don’t own is not the wisest choice, but glad it worked out for this one.

    • Maybe it wasn’t done to protect insured money but simply for the satisfaction and to send a message to the wolves that not everyone else is a sheep…

    • A based, violent reaction is most people’s initial instinct. The fact she acted on it tells me there was no further awareness of the actual situation. I’m gonna stick with my original thoughts on this clerk- “unwise”

  11. For those who thought watching the movie “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” was a juvenile waste of time, the final scene may have provided some inspiration where a hot pot of coffee was thrown in an armed robber’s face… AWESOME…TOTALLY AWESOME.