NY cashier, 91, punched trying to fend off thief

[March 12, 2010]  EAST NORTHPORT, N.Y. (AP) -- A 91-year-old New York pharmacy cashier refused medical attention and went back to work after a thief punched her.

Florence Critelli grabbed the man's hand and screamed when he reached over and grabbed cash from her cash register at the Rite Aid in East Northport on Long Island. He punched her in the chest, knocking her down, before fleeing.

Says Critelli: "He hit me good."

But she refused to leave work early. She says she didn't want to just "sit there and be bored."

After finishing her shift Thursday, she insisted on driving herself home.

Critelli, who has seven grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, says if police catch the guy, she wants to "smack him."

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Information from: New York Post, http://www.nypost.com/

[Associated Press]

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