CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Police in Statesville, N.C., say an 83-year-old man who worked at a Wal-Mart store as a greeter is in jail, charged with donning a disguise and robbing the store at gunpoint Sunday night.
George Plane, Jr. of Mooresville, N.S., was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and discharging a firearm inside the city limits, police say.
According to police, Plane was working Sunday evening in his normal job at the Wal-Mart store. Sometime before 7 p.m., police say, Plane went out to his car.
Minutes later, a man wearing a disguise entered the garden center area of the store and allegedly pointed a gun at an employee, demanding money from the cash register. Soon after taking money, police say, the gunman fired at least one shot into the air. Police say the man escaped with money, got in his car and drove off.
Witnesses called police, and the N.C. Highway Patrol and Iredell County Sheriff’s Office joined Statesville police in spotting the vehicle a short distance away. The man in the car surrendered after a brief standoff.
Statesville police Capt. T.C. Souther told WCNC-TV he was surprised when he saw the age on Plane’s driver’s license, saying the man didn’t look his age.
“”He appeared to be in good shape,”” Souther said.