Sometimes Crime Doesn't Pay

Charlottesville police say two men picked the wrong students to rob at gunpoint. The robbery suspects are behind bars, badly beaten by their victims.

Both suspects have severe injuries to their faces, but the victims – we’re told – are doing just fine. The pair who allegedly attempted an armed robbery had the tables turned on them Tuesday night, becoming victims themselves, so to speak.

Johnny Calderon Jr., 19, is facing four charges: two for attempted robbery, one for pointing a firearm and one for using a firearm in the commission of a felony. 

Calderon has a lot of bruising on his face, but he was not as badly injured as Gerald Allen. Allen’s right eye is swollen shut. Allen, 18, is facing a pair of attempted robbery charges.

Police say the suspects, both from Charlottesville, had to be taken to the hospital before going to jail Tuesday night.

The robbery happened along the 2300 block of Fontaine Avenue. When police arrived on the scene, they found two University of Virginia students had beaten up the suspects and detained them.

Police say they do not encourage victims to take matters into their own hands.

Calderon is due in General District Court Friday morning for a hearing. Allen is due in court on October 3.

Wrong Choice