It's a Stick Up! Robber Wields Huge Stick, Clerk Grabs Hammer

"Freeze, it's a stick up!"

A hooded Virginia man took the phrase stick up to an absurd new level. Out of all the weapons that a person could choose to threaten someone with, he picked a large piece of a tree. A really tall piece of a tree. We're talking at least a 6-foot tall stick, taller than the robber.

In this case, the 58-year-old store owner, Jugal Uppal grabbed a small hammer to defend himself against the big stick, WRC-TV reports. The robber was able to escape with some cash, as well as his precious stick, NBC Washington reports.

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So what happens if you walk into a market with a stick taller than you are and demand cash?

You get charged with armed robbery. Robbery is the taking of someone else's property by force or fear. Armed or aggravated robbery is a robbery with a deadly weapon such as a gun, or a robbery where the victim suffers injury. Unlike burglary, the crime of robbery almost always requires the presence of a victim who suffers actual injury, or is threatened with harm.

In this case, at least for now, the stick is being considered a deadly weapon and the assailant, who is still on the loose, is wanted on charges of armed robbery.

Related Resources:

• 'Big stick' robbery in Manassas (The Washington Post)
• Criminal Law Basics (FindLaw)
• Robbery (FindLaw)