Police confirmed that the man approached the clerk and brandished a knife, but fled moments later when the clerk produced a firearm.
Cothran, 29, said he had just finished helping another customer when the would-be robber entered the store, walked behind the counter and threatened his life.
“He had the knife cocked back. It looked like he was going to stab me,” Cothran said. “I took several steps back, produced my sidearm, and informed him it was a bad idea and he didn’t want to do it, and he left.”
Nashua police are asking the public for help identifying the man, who was described as a white or Hispanic male, between 6 feet and 6 feet, 2 inches tall, with a medium build. Police are circulating an image of the suspect. They also recovered a piece of evidence – a black-and-gray Coleman jacket with a red collar, which the suspect discarded while he was running from the scene.
(further down):
Nashua police Lt. Denis Linehan said there are pros and cons when employees who might be the victims of crime choose to arm themselves. If a robber is also carrying a firearm, the situation can potentially escalate into a shooting. In the case of Monday morning’s robbery, Linehan said it appears the clerk took appropriate action when he was threatened. He said police encourage anyone who carries a firearm to undergo safety training.
“The first thing that we want to make sure is that people are safe,” he said. “In this situation, the clerk was presented with a deadly weapon. He was in close proximity to the suspect when the deadly weapon was displayed to him. The clerk, from the information I have, took the appropriate action in terms of how he felt threatened, in presenting the firearm.”
Oooh, lookie:
“In this situation, the clerk was presented with a deadly weapon. He was in close proximity to the suspect when the deadly weapon was displayed to him. The clerk, from the information I have, took the appropriate action in terms of how he felt threatened, in presenting the firearm.”
Someone’s gonna win a lawsuit.