Armed Citizen Stops Armed Robbery
A legally armed citizen stopped an armed robbery at a food store in Indianapolis, Indiana, disarming the would-be holdup man and holding him at gunpoint until police arrived.
Charlie Merrell, 51, was standing in a checkout lane at Bucks IGA Supermarket on Indianapolis' south side when a masked man jumped over a nearby counter and held a gun on a store employee, according to a police report made public Wednesday.
While the suspect demanded cash from workers, Merrell pulled his own handgun, pointed it at the robber and ordered him to put down his weapon, the report said. After a moment the suspect placed his gun and the cash on the counter, removed his mask and lay on the floor. Merrell held him at gunpoint Monday until police arrived and arrested the suspect.
19-year old Dwain Smith is being held on charges including robbery, criminal confinement, pointing a firearm, battery and carrying a handgun without a license. His gun was not loaded. Charlie Merrell's was. And he used it, but didn't even have to pull the trigger.
Kudos to Charlie Merrell for knowing exactly how to handle the situation.
By martian, Friday, 4 January , 2008 @ 1:52 pm
Another case of an armed citizen using a handgun properly in defense of another person - imagine that. What really surprises me is that it made it into the news at all. It’s rare to hear a news report of someone doing something RIGHT with a legal handgun. The MSM like most lefties has always been overwhelmingly in favor of gun control and with their propensity to slant the news I would have expected them to bury it deep or at least put in a line about how Merrell endangered all of the other innocent bystanders with his wanton display of waving a gun around a crowded store.
By Vmaximus, Saturday, 5 January , 2008 @ 9:02 am
I am glad it turned out ok.
I have a ccw and I carry every day, so don’t get me wrong.
I wonder if the 19 yr old would have started shooting if his weapon was loaded.
What would have happened if he did?
I am not saying this as a criticism, it is something I worry about frequently. Do I have cover, do I have surprise, What is the other guy going to do? They say pre planning helps, so I try to think up situations, while I am standing in line. But you can never know what the other guy is going to do.
There is no way anyone can know.
I have not decided if I would try to stop a robbery at store if no one was being hurt. Pointing a gun at a clerk implies an extreme threat, so yes you should. If the guy takes the money and runs, the store is only out money (and maybe a clerk leaves for a safer job)
If the guy takes the money and then shoots the clerk, was I negligent for not stopping it? Even if I stop the guy afterward, I let a innocent person be shot.
If I pull my weapon, and the guy starts shooting up the place, what if he hits a innocent person, I may not have shot someone, but did I cause someone to be shot?
and can I live with that?
I am glad it turned out the way it did. I am glad it was not me.
By Alex, Sunday, 6 January , 2008 @ 8:52 am
I completely agree with the earlier post. I believe that being able to carry weapons is a crucial fundamental right, but the situation could have been much different. Clearly this robber was a desperate individual; perhaps he was so desperate that with a gun pointed at him he just would have started going crazy. It’s a nasty situation to be in.