‘Would-be robber’ left baffled when store clerk pulls his own gun, Florida cops say 

An attempted store robbery turned awkward when the “would-be robber” discovered his intended victim also had a gun, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.

It happened Sept. 9 at a store on North Pace Boulevard in Pensacola, and surveillance video shows the suspect was thwarted at every turn, starting when he couldn’t find anyone behind the counter.

“Unbeknownst to the ‘would-be’ robber, a store employee had watched him arm himself before entering the store. This employee headed to the backroom to arm himself (with his own personal gun),” the sheriff’s office said.

“Seconds later, when he sees the employee return, he freezes. … The employee returned to the counter holding his own gun toward the befuddled attempted robber.”

At that point, the suspect is heard trying to come up with a non-threatening reason he brought a shotgun into a convenience store.

It’s for personal protection, he explains.

“I don’t mean no harm. I’m just not from around here,“ he tells the clerk. “I’m from Chicago.”

The man then slowly walks out, cautiously watching the clerk over his shoulder. No purchase was made during the encounter.

“Thankfully, he decides that it is not the time for a robbery,” the sheriff’s office said.

A 32-year-old suspect from Pensacola was arrested Sept. 15 in nearby Santa Rosa County, and he was found in possession of the Benelli shotgun seen in the store, the sheriff’s office said.

He is charged “with openly carrying a prohibited weapon and attempted robbery with a firearm,” officials said. Bond was set at $100,000 for the attempted robbery with a firearm charge, jail records show.

This story was originally published September 27, 2022 at 7:17 AM with the headline "‘Would-be robber’ left baffled when store clerk pulls his own gun, Florida cops say ."