Workers at 2 businesses thwart thieves

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) -- Police in two southeastern Massachusetts communities say employees of local businesses thwarted robberies by fighting back.

New Bedford police says the owner of a downtown sub shop who is in his 60s swung his cane at a man who tried to grab the night deposit bag as he left for the night at about 3 a.m. Wednesday.

The would-be thief was struck several times by the owner of Sarducci's Subs and Pizza and ran off.

That incident occurred two days after a clerk at a Fall River convenience store struck a knife-wielding man trying to rob the store over the head with a jug of water, then whacked the suspect with a metal baseball bat.

That thief ran away from Sunny's Convenience empty handed.