By James Schugel, WCCO-TV

ST. CHARLES, Minn. (WCCO) — A 91-year-old Minnesota man and his 82-year-old wife say they weren’t scared, but the guy trying to rob them sure was.

A masked intruder wanting money barged into Wally and Betty’s apartment in St. Charles over the weekend. However, he got something in return.

Wally was sitting at his computer when the man entered his home.

“He just stood there in that doorway, standing there with a shovel,” said Wally. “I thought, ‘what the hell is going on here?’ I thought it was a joke!”

After hearing all the commotion, his wife, Betty, went to the front of the house and found him on the floor. Wally had been punched in the nose and it was bleeding.

“I sat on the edge of the bed. He says, ‘give me your hands! I’m going to tie you up!’ And I said, ‘No, I don’t think so,” Betty said.

They both resisted. It happens to be in Wally’s blood. The World War 2 veteran wasn’t about to give in to the guy’s demands — his wife wasn’t either.

After a couple minutes of struggling, the man ran out the door with nothing.

“I’m damn near 92 years old. So, I’ve lived my life. He’s got his ahead of him, and it might not be too rosy, you know?” Wally said.

The couple will celebrate their 63rd wedding anniversary in March.

“I’m just thankful that everything turned out OK,” said Betty.

The man is described as a white man in his early 20s, with a black stocking cap and gray ski mask. He’s said to be about 5-foot-10, with a slender build, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and black nylon jogging pants.

Despite the couples’ bravery, police generally don’t recommend being uncooperative with a criminal’s demands, because it is better to play it safe.