Veteran, 95, fights off would-be robber with cane

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (WMUR) – Arthur Kamberis says a man tried to steal his wallet over the weekend in Manchester, New Hampshire. And he wasn’t going to let that happen.

“But damn it, if I’d have had my cellphone, we would have nailed that guy, because the police station is only one block down,” Kamberis said.

That’s the one regret the World War II veteran has after fending off Saturday’s attack.

“He was not aggressive,” Kamberis recalls. “He didn’t lay his hands on me, other than the fact he wanted to reach in this pocket to get the money, the wallet.”

Kamberis says the man was mumbling, so he had trouble understanding what he wanted. He tried to give the man some loose change, but the robber insisted on trying to get the wallet, and Kamberis said that wasn’t happening.

“I had my credit card, my license, my grandchildrens’ pictures in there and all sorts of stuff. It would have been wicked for me to replace,” Kamberis said.

So, the 95-year-old lashed out with his cane.

“I was really nervous. I hit him maybe three or four times on the arm, and then, you know, what the cop told me, ‘You should have hit him on the head,” Kamberis added.

“Mr. Kamberis was very fortunate. He fought off the bad guy and left in one piece,” Lt. Brian O’Keefe, with the Manchester Police Department, said.

Police say they always recommend surrendering your goods, as things can be replaced. People can’t. Despite the attempted robbery, Kamberis says he has no plans to change his routine – with one exception.

“My .357 Magnum will be with me all the time when I’m alone, because I cannot protect myself other than the cane,” Kamberis said.

He did get some help. A witness saw what was happening, and police say the would-be robber saw the man coming and ran off, WMUR-TV reports.

Police are still searching for the man and are circulating a surveillance photo.