Rutter's patron with gun thwarts armed robbery

Early Saturday, an armed robber entered a Rutter's in central Pennsylvania and encountered something he probably wasn't expecting: an armed patron, police said.

Shortly before 3 a.m., a man wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and a black mask armed with a handgun entered the Rutter's at 8210 Derry St., in Swatara Township, Dauphin County. As the man entered the store, he was seen by the employee. The employee was near the opposite entrance and fled the store, police said.

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But when the armed, masked man continued into the store, he was "briefly confronted" by an armed patron, and the attempted robber fled, police said. The patron was licensed to carry a firearm in Pennsylvania.

The suspect allegedly robbed a Turkey Hill in Derry Township, Dauphin County, about 40 minutes before the incident at the Rutter's, police said.

Anyone with information about the incident should call the Swatara Township Police Department at 717-564-2550.

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