Four young would-be thieves had their eyes on the neon Corona beer sign in the window of Meister's Bar and Grill in Scandia on Monday.
They were armed with wire cutters and bolt cutters. They were disguised with scarves and even a ski mask. And one of them had agreed to drop his pants and moon any patrons as a distraction, a law enforcement official said.
But the 15- and 16-year-olds didn't count on some tough customers known as the Coffee Guys, four men in their 60s, 70s and 80s who go for coffee at Meister's a dozen times a week.
The Coffee Guys were celebrating Kermit Granberg's 84th birthday when the teenagers entered Meister's about 2:30 p.m. and removed the beer sign from the wall. The teens banged it on the way out the door and broke it, said Bruce Swenson, 64.
Harvey Lindgren and Ernie Kertzscher followed the teens and the sign out the door. They tried to block the getaway car, but had to settle for writing down the plate.
Swenson jumped in his car and took off after the teenagers.
"I did stop for the stop signs," unlike his quarry, Swenson said. He used his cell phone to call police and helped track the teens to rural Lindstrom. Using the license information the other Coffee Guys obtained, authorities found and arrested three of the teens.
Story from Twin Cities.com
They were armed with wire cutters and bolt cutters. They were disguised with scarves and even a ski mask. And one of them had agreed to drop his pants and moon any patrons as a distraction, a law enforcement official said.
But the 15- and 16-year-olds didn't count on some tough customers known as the Coffee Guys, four men in their 60s, 70s and 80s who go for coffee at Meister's a dozen times a week.
The Coffee Guys were celebrating Kermit Granberg's 84th birthday when the teenagers entered Meister's about 2:30 p.m. and removed the beer sign from the wall. The teens banged it on the way out the door and broke it, said Bruce Swenson, 64.
Harvey Lindgren and Ernie Kertzscher followed the teens and the sign out the door. They tried to block the getaway car, but had to settle for writing down the plate.
Swenson jumped in his car and took off after the teenagers.
"I did stop for the stop signs," unlike his quarry, Swenson said. He used his cell phone to call police and helped track the teens to rural Lindstrom. Using the license information the other Coffee Guys obtained, authorities found and arrested three of the teens.
Story from Twin Cities.com
