HEIDELBERG, Pa. -- Thousands of dollars may have been stolen during a violent, armed robbery that broke up a late-night Texas Hold 'Em poker game at the Heidelberg Volunteer Fire Department.
Heidelberg police Chief Vernon Barkley said the hold-up at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday may have been an inside job. A man who he described as a "person of interest" was seen leaving the police station with a jacket covering his face later in the day.
"From information we obtained here, he was a little nervous, buying in games, checking out, cashing out, buying back in, doing a lot of talking on his cell phone, so we're going to do some follow-ups on who he was talking to and stuff like that," Barkley said.
According to police, as one person left the locked fire hall in the 400 block of First Street, two of the robbers walked in and later let a third person inside. The doors had crash-bar locks and no door handles on the outside.
Witnesses told police that the intruders had guns and a baton and ordered all of the people inside -- about 20 or so, Barkley said -- to get on the ground.
One witness -- who did not want to be identified -- told Channel 4 Action News that a gun was held to his head. He said as much as $6,000 was stolen from the hall, although police have not confirmed that dollar amount.
"There was a confrontation with Sara (Lazzaro, the game organizer), where, either they wanted the money, she said she didn't have the money, at which point she was struck in the head," Barkley said.
The robbers may have fled in a gold car, police said. No descriptions of the people were available.
Police said the investigation is ongoing, and they think the intruders were familiar with the area and the set-up of the game.
"That's basically what we're looking into with the cell phone records -- calls placed between individuals who were here at the game," Barkley said.
According to Barkley, the hall is rented out for games on Monday and Friday, starting at 7:30 p.m. and going until 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. He said the games draw large crowds, often consisting of people from all over the area.
Several neighbors who live near the fire hall declined to comment to Channel 4 Action News on Tuesday morning.
Nobody from the fire department would comment to Channel 4 Action News on Tuesday. Heidelberg Borough Council President Ray Losego also declined a request for an interview to talk about the poker games.
The woman who was injured during the robbery was taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital and later released after being treated for a concussion and receiving stitches, Nicotra reported.
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