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Thanks for the robbery! Did I look alright?

Store clerk hopes his heroism plays well if security tape makes YouTube

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updated 11:52 p.m. ET Dec. 11, 2007

ELMWOOD PARK, N.J. - When a robber started taking cash from his register over the weekend, Dunkin' Donuts employee Dustin Hoffmann fought back by clobbering the man with a ceramic mug. But Hoffmann admits he was less worried about the stolen cash than how he might look on the video-sharing site YouTube.

"What was going through my mind at that point was that the security tape is either going to show me run away and hide in the office or whack this guy in the head, so I just grabbed the cup and clocked the guy pretty hard," Hoffmann told The Record of Bergen County for Tuesday's editions.

The incident happened Sunday evening when the robber came into the westbound Route 46 Dunkin' Donuts and ordered a pastry, according to Elmwood Park Police Chief Donald Ingrasselino. Once Hoffmann opened the register, the robber jumped over the counter and started taking cash.

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Police said Hoffmann grabbed the man's wrists while hitting him with the mug, which is used to hold tips. Hoffmann managed to scare away the robber, who made out with just $90 and left behind a baseball cap police are holding to test for DNA evidence.

Police haven't arrested anyone, but described the robber as a white male in his 30s, with medium build, around 6 feet tall. The man, who police believe is also responsible for two other recent Dunkin' Donuts robberies in the area, has black hair and long sideburns.

As for YouTube fame, Hoffmann said he'll put up the surveillance video himself when it becomes available.

"There are only a few videos like that on YouTube now, so mine's going to be the best," he said. "That'll teach this guy."

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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