Laundromat Armed Robberies

[MrMachine]

Originally Posted by chslaundry

did anyone see the video of the Internet "sweepstakes" patron chase two armed robbers from the store? as a business owner, i had mixed feelings. what would have been a routine armed robbery could have turned into a shoot-out with many innocent people caught in the crossfire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t5f5AwkkiY

Hooray for Grandpa!!!
Those 2 will never pull THAT S*@# again!
Looks like gramps was using a .380.
Should have been a 9mm.

BTW, this is why cops don't like "hoodies". Hoodies are the uniform DuJour for armed robbers because they shield their faces from surveillance cameras. Especially in conjunction with a baseball cap. Anyone walking into my store wearing a hoodie with the hood up will always get my attention for that reason.

[ldm]

CCW permits are not so difficult to get in FarNorCal, but SF or LA get tougher. The permit will cover all of CA, except where restricted. The internet cafe guy will likely be sued by the perps and others...it's just how society is now days...and lets face it, he did not do it exactly by the book, which puts innocents in danger. Les

[jh]

Originally Posted by MrMachine

BTW, this is why cops don't like "hoodies". Hoodies are the uniform DuJour for armed robbers because they shield their faces from surveillance cameras. Especially in conjunction with a baseball cap. Anyone walking into my store wearing a hoodie with the hood up will always get my attention for that reason.

A few months ago, the owner of a nearby 99cents store came to ask me to help him identify a thief. It turned out that a guy wearing a baseball cap had made two trips to his store to steal bottles of 50oz Tide. His mother waited next to a table in the front of my laundromat. They left with 12 bottles. The thief purposely kept his head low in the 99cents store so the cameras there didn't help much. My cameras were able to get a face shot. I printed out the image. However, according to the owner, the police department didn't send anyone out to help because the claimed amount was too small...

[MrMachine]

Originally Posted by ldm

CCW permits are not so difficult to get in FarNorCal, but SF or LA get tougher. The permit will cover all of CA, except where restricted. The internet cafe guy will likely be sued by the perps and others...it's just how society is now days...and lets face it, he did not do it exactly by the book, which puts innocents in danger. Les

Les,
In most cases, if you act calmly and give them what they want, you're ok, but when guys come in with guns you simply don't know if they will kill you or not.
They certainly did NOT expect an old man to be shooting back! That's what's so great about this.

I sure hope nobody gets sued by these perps. I don't think the police charged the old guy so that makes it a lot harder to have a successful suit.
Still, I'd rather be alive with a suit, then murdered like the Wendy's employees a few posts back.

Just look what happened today at the Batman screening in CO!!
The guy had armor, so I'm not sure if you would survive a duel with him unless you get in a lucky head shot, but in this case, you would not have survived anyhow.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by gramps not going by the book.
My notion is that he did everything great except for firing that last shot out the door, but even then he fired down towards the sidewalk. The perp probably fell again.
Is that what you mean? It's not like he went running down the street after them. I bet he's a retired badge.

It's so hard to do everything right in these situations.

[ldm]

Originally Posted by MrMachine

Les,
In most cases, if you act calmly and give them what they want, you're ok, but when guys come in with guns you simply don't know if they will kill you or not.
They certainly did NOT expect an old man to be shooting back! That's what's so great about this.

I sure hope nobody gets sued by these perps. I don't think the police charged the old guy so that makes it a lot harder to have a successful suit.
Still, I'd rather be alive with a suit, then murdered like the Wendy's employees a few posts back.

Just look what happened today at the Batman screening in CO!!
The guy had armor, so I'm not sure if you would survive a duel with him unless you get in a lucky head shot, but in this case, you would not have survived anyhow.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by gramps not going by the book.
My notion is that he did everything great except for firing that last shot out the door, but even then he fired down towards the sidewalk. The perp probably fell again.
Is that what you mean? It's not like he went running down the street after them. I bet he's a retired badge.

It's so hard to do everything right in these situations.

I am glad he acted, and I certainly hope he does not get sued, but IMO, chances are he will. A head shot is not necessarily a lucky shot (especially for the criminal). Lets say the shot out the door is a glaring reason why he may get sued...especially if he hit anyone...can he prove he was being responsible for that bullet...I am not sure that shot even met the requirements needed to justify the risk. Every one of his bullets was stopped by something or somebody. And yes, anytime you use your weapon in a situation like this, you will not likely get everything right. It's a life changing experience. Les

[Howard]

Originally Posted by ldm

I am glad he acted, and I certainly hope he does not get sued, but IMO, chances are he will. A head shot is not necessarily a lucky shot (especially for the criminal). Lets say the shot out the door is a glaring reason why he may get sued...especially if he hit anyone...can he prove he was being responsible for that bullet...I am not sure that shot even met the requirements needed to justify the risk. Every one of his bullets was stopped by something or somebody. And yes, anytime you use your weapon in a situation like this, you will not likely get everything right. It's a life changing experience. Les

Check the video again, it took place in Florida - home of stand your ground - he has no requirement to retreat and can shoot them dead running out of the store if he feels they might come back.

[ldm]

Originally Posted by Howard

Check the video again, it took place in Florida - home of stand your ground - he has no requirement to retreat and can shoot them dead running out of the store if he feels they might come back.

Howard: I certainly hope all actions were IAW the local reg's and the story ends at the last shot for this guy with no further problems. Les