Lynn cops foil armed robbery attempt

LYNN – A Peabody woman with a history of drug abuse was caught in the act attempting to rob a Western Avenue convenience store armed with a handgun early Friday morning.Patrol officers John Harkness and William Rogers were on a proactive patrol outside of the 7-11 located at 50 Western Ave. just before 2:30 a.m. Friday when a call came in for a robbery in progress at the store.The officers quickly rushed into the store to find 34-year-old Christine DeGenova wearing dark sunglasses, a hooded sweatshirt and clutching a wad of cash as she struggled with the clerk behind the counter. Rogers ran behind the counter to help the clerk, while Harkness came up behind the woman and pinned her arm down to the counter.As she was struggling with the officers, DeGenova managed to point a handgun in the direction of Rogers, who quickly grabbed the barrel of the gun and pointed it toward the ceiling. Both officers then wrestled with the would-be thief, freeing the .22 caliber revolver and the cash from her hand before placing her into custody.DeGenova, who initially told the police she was homeless and living in a shelter on Bourbon Street in Peabody, shows an official address of 6 Dark Lane, Peabody, according to the arrest report.She was arrested and charged with armed robbery while masked, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, a handgun, resisting arrest, carrying a firearm without a license and using a firearm in the commission of a felony.She appeared in Lynn District Court Friday where she was ordered held on $75,000 bail until a hearing Nov. 8. DeGenova was also arrested on Aug. 12 of this year on an OUI drugs charge, for which the bail was revoked after Friday morning’s incident.According to the store clerk, the suspect approached the counter while wearing large dark sunglasses and a black hooded sweatshirt pulled over her head. She allegedly displayed a firearm and demanded the money from the register.At some point, she came behind the counter and seized the money from one of the registers. She then demanded money from another register, and the clerk complied. As she attempted to take the money, the clerk began to struggle for control of the weapon. At about this point, the officers entered the store.A second clerk who was also in the store placed the call to 911.”This was an extremely dangerous situation for the officers, the store clerk and the suspect,” said Police Spokesman David Brown. “During these tense few moments, Officers John Harkness and William Rogers, without regard for their own safety, intervened and prevented what could have been a tragic outcome. “