A gun-toting robber got more than he bargained for at an Arizona gas station on Wednesday when he was disarmed in a flash by a fearless US Marine Corps veteran.
The man’s caught-on-camera heroics happened at around 4:30 a.m. inside a convenience store at a Chevron gas station in the southwest city of Yuma, the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office said.
Surveillance footage released by the sheriff’s office shows three suspects – one with a handgun – entering the store.
In the eight-second clip, the armed suspect leads the way, walking up towards a lone customer standing at the counter while pointing the weapon at the cashier. The valiant customer immediately springs into action, lunging at the armed suspect to prevent the gun being used.
The customer – whom deputies identified as a Marine Corps veteran – disarmed the suspect and detained him until law enforcement could arrive.
When asked how he managed to take charge of a potentially dangerous situation, the veteran reportedly said: “The Marine Corps taught me not to [mess] around.”
No injuries were reported and the former Marine’s name was not immediately released.
The suspect, a juvenile, was booked into the Yuma County Juvenile Justice Center on single counts of armed robbery and aggravated assault.
Authorities are seeking the two other suspects who fled the scene when the Marine veteran intervened.