by KYW's Hadas Kuznits, Al Novack, and Kim Glovas
Upper Darby police, working with a local pizza shop that had been previously victimized by robbers, nabbed two people on Wednesday night who are believed responsible for a string of similar holdups in the township.
Detectives say Verona Pizza delivery drivers had been the victims of several armed hold-ups in recent weeks, so when they got a suspicious order on Wednesday night, they alerted police.
An undercover police decoy pretending to be a deliveryman went to the home in the unit block of Harwood Drive in Drexel Hill, where a masked gunman jumped out of the bushes, demanding money.
When the gunman refused to drop his weapon, the officer fired a shot, wounding the suspect. The suspect, 22-year-old Paul Anderson (above right), was hospitalized. His condition was listed as serious but stable.
Upper Darby police chief Michael Chitwood:
"The detective told the man to drop the gun. The man kept on coming and the detective fired one shot."
Police say a second man hiding in the bushes with a baseball bat ran off, and a getaway car being driven by a woman tried to flee, but police gave chase. They caught up with the car and took the woman into custody. She is identified as 20-year-old Emily Vagnoni.
Chitwood says the third suspect was still at large:
"We know his name, we're out there looking for him. The best thing he can do is surrender."
Anderson's weapon, a pellet gun (right), was recovered at the scene.
(Photo #4 by KYW's Hadas Kuznits)
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