Lynn Grandmother Stabs Robber With Pen

LYNN (CBS) -- A grandmother attacked in her Lynn apartment said she fought back with the pen from her crossword puzzle.

"I hope I got him pretty good," said the woman, who didn't want to be identified by name. She said she was born without a birth certificate in South Carolina, but believes she is at least 100 years old.

She answered her door Tuesday evening expecting her nephew.  The man on the other side turned out to be a robber who forced his way in.  Police say then he used an unidentified object to hit her in the head.

"He almost knocked me out. I was bleeding so bad," said the woman.

WBZ-TV's Alana Gomez reports.

She said he then forced her into the bedroom and started rummaging through her pockets for money.  She then used the closest object to her to fight back.

"I was doing a puzzle; I had an ink pen in my hand. I stabbed him in his leg," she said.

Police say the suspect, 56-year-old Michael Collins, got away with about $400.  His victim asked a neighbor to call 911.  She went to the hospital and told police the suspect was Collins, a man she had given a couple of dollars to once on the street.

"I told police you better find that guy, because if I get out of here then I'll kill him," she said.

Police arrested Collins about a half a mile away on Neptune Boulevard. 

"It is uncalled for. If he needed the money I would've given it to him," she said.  "We're supposed to treat each other like sisters and brothers."

Asked if she was happy to be alive she said, "I don't question it.  God must've left me here for something else."