Security guard gets a Taser in the stomach

Tasers: They're not just for zapping crazy Phillies fans anymore.

Upper Darby police are searching for two thieves who waltzed into the Marshalls store on 69th Street on Christmas Eve, loaded up on merchandise, then electroshocked their way out the door when a plainclothes security guard tried to stop them.

"They're seen stealing hundreds of dollars in clothing and putting it in a large shopping bag," said police Superintendent Michael Chitwood Sr.

When the guard stepped in, one of the thieves pulled out a Taser.

"He tasered him in the stomach and they made their escape," Chitwood said. "These guys are career criminals. This ain't a first-time offense."

The suspects, who were videotaped by surveillance cameras, are black males in their early 30s, around 230 pounds. They were last seen running on Chestnut Street toward a parking garage.

"They're real thugs," Chitwood said.

But do real thugs use nonlethal stun guns?

"You're starting to see it more often. It's something you never saw before," Chitwood said of criminals with Tasers. "Usually, they're using a gun or knife. So maybe in this case, it's better he got tasered instead of shot or stabbed."

A Marshalls spokeswoman did not return a request for comment Tuesday. The guard was not seriously hurt.

Chitwood volunteered to be tasered in 2008, so he knows how it feels to have tens of thousands of volts running through your body.

"Getting tasered like that, it's significant. He's lucky he didn't fall and get hurt," Chitwood said. "Normally, your body shakes and it's like shattered glass, you just fall apart. They got him good enough where you can see the marks."