SW shop owner stabbed by thief

A 51-year-old store owner was stabbed in Southwest Philadelphia yesterday as he tried to fend off two thieves.
Edward Whalen was in the back of Whalen's Deli, at 74th Street and Elmwood Avenue, when the two masked crooks entered about 4 p.m., said Lt. John Walker of Southwest Detectives.
One of the thugs stood watch by the front door while the other pulled out a knife and threatened the owner's 25-year-old daughter.
Edward Whalen ran from the back of the store to his daughter's defense, yelling, "Not my daughter!"
Whalen was stabbed twice in the back and once in the hand during an ensuing struggle. The second thief then pulled out a handgun, briefly aimed it at Whalen's daughter, and then robbed the cash register, Walker said.
The crooks ditched their masks at the scene and then fled on foot with an unknown amount of cash.

Investigators found a bloody knife — believed to have been the one used in the robbery — in a sewer on Island Avenue near Theodore Street, Walker said.
Whalen was listed in serious but stable condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. His daughter was not injured.
Walker said that Whalen, whose store had been robbed previously, was planning to sell his business in the near future.
Tipsters can call 215-686-3183 or-3184.