Manager Fired After Not Opening Store Following Armed Robbery

The manager of the Choice gas station in Derry Township said was fired after refusing to reopen the store until she feels safe after it was robbed for the fourth time this year.

Police are reviewing surveillance video from the armed robbery Sunday night. They said a white man dressed in a light-colored hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, tennis shoes and a light-colored bandanna on his face entered the Route 217 store brandishing a handgun.

Police said the man demanded cash from the clerk and then fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money.

The store’s manager, April Lutz, told Channel 11 News on Tuesday that the company fired her, telling her she “abandoned” her job by not opening the store on Monday.

Lutz said she contacted an attorney after telling the company she couldn't open the store because she didn't have any cash after the robber took it all.

Video: Derry Gas Station Closes After 4th Robbery This Year

"My clerk is on the other side of the counter and he's pointing the gun, telling her to get the money," said Lutz. "He keeps looking over his shoulder. He must be nervous, watching to see if a customer's going to come in."

Lutz said the recent robbery was the fourth since January. She recounted how she was tackled to the ground by robbers in January when the store was first robbed.

"A gentleman came in and pretty much jumped the counter at me and told me if I didn't give him the money they were going to kill me," Lutz said.

The mother of three said she fears for her life when she goes to work, saying she never knows if she’ll make it home that day to see her kids.

Reed Moore, 21, of Derry, was arrested and charged in connection with the January robbery. Police are still searching for the man they say was his alleged accomplice, Dion Ford Jr., also from Derry.

All of the robberies have happened on a Sunday night, police said.

Lutz said she asked the company for an armed security guard but her request was denied.

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