Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 4, 1994 TAG: 9401040039
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But then the man shot him for having too much.
When he got shot, it made him angry, Divers said. "We're not dealing with a rational human being. You don't treat a rabid dog like a neighborhood pet."
For seconds following the shooting, Divers played dead on the ground near his Pearl Avenue Northeast automotive shop as the gunman made his getaway in a car.
Then Divers, 41, jumped in his 14,000-pound wrecker and took off after him.
Divers, of Salem, was locking the gate of his business, Techne Mechanical, when the robber approached early Friday.
"Give me you wallet," the gunman said, insisting that Divers tell him how much money was inside.
"About $50," Divers said he guessed.
There was more. The gunman started ranting about how Divers had misled him.
"He was right perturbed," Divers said. "I figured I was in a world of hurt."
He also figured that the gunman was ready to make his move. He turned slightly to give the gunman less of a target if he decided to fire.
He heard the boom of a .357 Magnum discharging as he felt the sting of a bullet beneath his arm.
"If he had hit anything solid, I don't think you'd be interviewing me now," said Divers, who was treated at Roanoke Memorial Hospital and released.
He lay on the ground for about 15 to 20 seconds before the gunman pulled away in a car.
Hurrying down the road behind the gunman, Divers called police on his wrecker's cellular phone to alert them to the chase.
Police took over as Divers pulled back after coming within 15 feet of the gunman's car.
Troy F. Cartwright, 29, was arrested and charged with robbery after his car turned into an alley and struck a tree. The suspect jumped from the car and landed on his back after slipping on ice.
He also faces charges of malicious wounding, reckless driving and possession of crack cocaine.
Cartwright also has been charged in connection with a robbery Thursday night at the Uni-Mart on Shenandoah Avenue.
In that robbery, a man threatened "to blow the clerk's head off," police said.
by CNB