[Arvon]

Unarmed Bandits' Caper Costs Them a Leg

The man who robbed the O'Reilly Auto Parts store last Saturday may have escaped, but police already have a leg up on him.

The bandit and his accomplice grabbed $50 in cash from a manager in the back of the south Kansas City shop, police say. But in the ensuing scuffle with the manager and a store mechanic, the robber lost his prosthetic leg.

"The mechanic grabbed hold of the guy's leg and it just popped off," said Officer Bob Murphy, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department.

The device &emdash; which attached below the knee &emdash; came loose and, witnesses said, it took the thief's pants with it.

Wearing only his boxers, the man hopped through the snow to his partner's waiting getaway car.

"The one-legged bandit hopped to the parking lot and into the car and off they went," said Murphy.

The two men had entered the shop around 9:30 a.m., and while one talked to a store employee, the other went back and grabbed the cash from the manager. The two men began to wrestle, and a store mechanic joined the melee. When the man's leg came off, the store victims said they were too stunned to pursue him, especially considering he had only taken $50.

"They were just kind of so shocked holding this guy's leg that they just laughed," said Murphy. "They said the entire time he was hopping back to his car he had this look on his face like 'Oh, what should I do?'"

The robbery apparently was a net loss for the thief, however. The prosthetic device seems to be worth several thousand dollars, authorities said.

"It was a titanium, bendable, high-tech deal," said Murphy.

Authorities are searching for the men. In addition to having the leg as evidence, they have the entire event on videotape.