Gun-toting citizen foils robbery

[USMC - Retired]

September 14, 2006
http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5409861

Albany -- A bystander broke up a Northwest Albany armed robbery he witnessed by firing two gunshots in the air. He then followed the armed robbers as they fled, and alerted police who arrested the three gunmen.

Now, the man who stopped the robbers and their victims are too scared to talk to us on camera, afraid the young crooks will come after them.

Just before 11:00 Wednesday night two gunmen jumped a man and a woman in the back parking lot as they left Mama Gina's Restaurant on North Slappey.

The male victim, Michael, is afraid to show his face on camera, worried the robbers will come after him again. "He had a red bandana on, waving a gun all around, threatened to shoot us if we didn't give them the money."

Marcus saw the robbery happening, and decided to help. He is too afraid to give his name or talk to us, but when he saw the robber's guns, he went to get his. Mama Gina's owner Vinny Mannino said, "The guy go in his car and get his gun. He shoot one shot in the air to scare the guys, they run away. He shot another shot in the air to make them stop, but they keep running."

The two robbers jumped into a car and fled down Tenth Avenue. Marcus followed in his car, letting police know what was going on. Mannino said "He call 911, from the car. He was communicating with 911."

The robbers threw their guns and the victim's wallet and purse out the window as they drove North on Slappey, and then onto the bypass, where Police stopped them.

Charged with armed robbery are 19-year-old Dejean Thomas and two 16-year-old juveniles.

Marcus told us that he just wanted to help, that's why he rushed the armed robbers. Mannino said, "I think we need more people like him, help each other."

Michael said there is no doubt Marcus is a hero. "He's a pretty good guy. It's great somebody around here wants to help, and get involved."

But Marcus and Michael admit they are both still scared, worried that the robbers or their friends will seek revenge. Marcus said the Police took his .357 Magnum as evidence after the robbery, but they assured him he would get it back soon.

I have a call in to the Albany PD investigations division to see if this guy was a GFL (Georgia carry license) holder. I don't agree with the "warning shots" into the air, too much risk of those shots coming down somewhere they shouldn't. Plus he wasted two rounds that he may have needed if it turned into a shoot out. I belive his best course of action would have been to draw down on the perps and order them to drop thier weapon and hit the dirt. Being prepared to put a few into the perp with the gun if he did anything stupid.

 

[glummer]

I belive his best course of action would have been to draw down on the perps and order them to drop thier weapon and hit the dirt. Being prepared to put a few into the perp with the gun if he did anything stupid.

I dunno about "best." The perp had a gun. "Draw down" on him and wait to see what he does, and you may die for it. Reaction time makes that very dangerous.
I would pick "Call 911 and watch from a safe location." If, for some reason, you feel you must intervene, then I would say go in shooting; holding fire, or giving warning is just too risky.

 

[lurkersince03]

On a somewhat related note, a colleague of mine was hit in the arm with a stray 9mm round as he was sitting on a Books a Million outdoor patio. He was sitting with his back directly against an aluminum siding-wall. We heard what sounded like someone throwing a rock at the wall and he immediately exclaimed, "Oh shi-!" It didn't break the skin... well, sort of. Imagine someone sling-shotting a 9mm slug into your deltoid muscle (his occurred on his left side, almost behind the shoulder, but he wasn't exactly perpendicular with the wall -- he was hunched over, texting on his cell phone). At first we thought an SUV, which coinidentally drove by at the time, had thrown a rock or pebble at him -- or otherwise kicked it at him from the tire. Whatever it was, it hit him good. A bleeding welt was left on his arm. The next day, an employee found the perpitrator, a nearly pristine 9mm slug with a rifled twist to indicate that it had indeed been fired (at some point).

He had to file a police report and a work report (since he was on break at the time). We all agree that, in a freak coincidence, it appears that someone from who knows how far away (most likely miles away) had busted a cap into the air at some sort of 45 degree (or similar) angle -- as we heard no noise report of any sort besides the loud *clank* of the thing bouncing off his deltoid muscle and slamming into the aluminum siding. He covered the wound up with a band-aid, and said it was pretty sore, but that's all that happened to him. So there's a bit of a ballistics and trajectory puzzle for you guys.

The point to this story, and not to take it off topic, is that those rounds that are fired into the air do have to land somewhere. While I'm morbidly curious to know what would have happened if it had hit him in the head/eye (or anyone else for that matter, mind you, it could have happened to any of us sitting out there {and still could [to any of you, as well], knock on wood}), I think I'm definitely justified in being distasteful with such a curiousity. Just something to think about.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Well, a generally happy ending but many mistakes made to learn from.

But, don't forget the part where a legally carried firearm by a private citizen stopped a crime. Don't get sidetracked by less than perfect tactics.

 

[shermacman]

I'm not big on the warning shots, especially in what I assume is a six-shot .357 revolver. But I am not going to judge. The guy did the right thing. I am glad that none of the good guys got hurt. The cops need to return the gun, immediately.

 

[USMC - Retired]

No argument there, very happy to have another example of an armed citizen facilitating the arrest of three thugs in the act of armed robbery!

 

[jcoiii]

Glad the guy jumped in to help against these scum of society. (Don't shoot warning shots into the air. If you're going to waste ammo, do it into the ground)

 

[Manedwolf]

Good outcome, bad mistakes. No shooting IN THE AIR. If you want to shoot not at a person, shoot into soft dirt.

And if they were armed robbers, if you don't shoot AT them, the first panicked shot from them might either be at you, or into the head of the poor clerk. If that happened, then yes, you escalated the situation instead of stopping it.

 

[TallPine]

I'm not big on the warning shots

I believe in two warning shots COM