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Man Uses Fake Leg To Bring Down Thief

  MIDDLETON, Mass. (AP) - A Massachusetts man who used his prosthetic leg to take down a robber says he didn't have time to think, he just reacted.
 
Stephen Cornell peered through the window of his neighborhood convenience store in Middleton on Wednesday and saw a man pointing a gun at the owner.
 
He tells The Salem News he intended to tackle the thief when he left JC Grill & Pizza, but instead stuck out his artificial leg and tripped him.
 
Cornell and owner Edson Andrade disarmed the thief and dragged him back into the store in a chokehold before calling police. The weapon was a pellet gun.
 
The 55-year-old Cornell lost his leg at age 12.
 
The suspect, 23-year-old Eric Homen, pleaded not guilty to charges including armed robbery.

(© Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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