Posted on 01/15/2015 1:06:29 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Out of Dekalb County, Georgia this week, a tense story with a happy ending may turn out to finish on a sour note after all. A woman working delivering pizzas for Papa John’s went out on a delivery run and instead of being met by a hungry customer with cash, found herself facing an armed robber. After forcing her from her vehicle and ordering her onto the ground, the suspect, Donquaz Devon Stevenson, was going to leave with her car and her money. At that point he learned that he probably should have checked things out a bit more thoroughly when the driver produced her own personal firearm and shot him in the face.
A suspect, Donquaz Devon Stevenson, was found nearby with a gunshot wound to his face, police told Channel 2. Stevenson, 24, of a Decatur address, was arrested and charged with armed robbery, DeKalb jail records showed.
A second suspect, who was not identified, left the scene in the delivery driver’s silver 2000 Honda Accord, according to police. He remained on the loose Monday.
Mr. Stevenson somehow survived the encounter. (Bonus points awarded for a successful head shot from a prone position in the dark, though a center of body mass target would have been higher percentage.) The unhappy part of this story is that the driver may lose her job over this. For all the details on that part of the story you need to click the link above and watch the news station video. (Not embedded here because it’s autoplay.) It may sound unbelievable that an employee could be fired for defending her life, but apparently it happens. Bob Owens has the background on that.
Unfortunately, the woman who survived this armed ambush with her life is more than likely going to lose her job unless Papa John’s has recently changed a long-running policy that forbids employees from being armed for their own self-defense.
Though being a food delivery driver is one of the ten most dangerous jobs in the United States, companies like Papa John’s have done the cold, hard analysis and have determined that is is cheaper to deal with drivers injured or killed in robberies than it is to deal with the possibility of litigation if one of their employees shoots someone and the company’s policies allowed them to be armed.
Some additional national attention would be in order regarding this insane policy, as Bob goes on to note. But since most of these outlets are independently run franchises, the specific one in this story can probably be convinced that it’s a bad move to fire a woman for saving her own life. Something like that could be bad for business. (Not that most New Yorkers would need a lot of incentive to not order pizza from Papa Johns in the first place, but it may be very popular in Georgia for all I know.)
We can remain thankful that the driver is still alive and uninjured. Let’s just hope that the cops manage to get her car back and that her employer can see the light and not do something foolish like terminating her employment.
Yeah, pizza with attitude. :{)
For sure. But this is a woman and it is usually a lot easier for them to carry and conceal a mouse gun and especially when they are working for somebody who doesn't want them to carry anything and expects them to beg for mercy instead.
Nonetheless, it did it's job and stopped the goon and that's what counts (except to Papa John's).
I hate to say we need another law, but we need a law for this. One that shields the crime victim from civil litigation due to self defense. If the perp gets shot during the process of committing a robbery or other violent crime, and is convicted, the perp should have no legal recourse to sue over injuries, “pain and suffering”, and all that. Commit a crime and get injured or killed in the process? The perp had it coming.
Better caliber
Better ingredients.
Poppa cap.
Well it is not as if it is one of the world’s best jobs anyway.
Simple business, cost/benefit analysis. Pizza delivery is low skill, low wage work. Not worth exposing the company to million dollar civil liability. The bottom line is the bottom line...that’s business.
I predict a better job opportunity on the horizon for this gutsy lady.
Sounds similar to the "we had orders" that lost favor at Nuremberg. People need to return to doing what is right regardless of the mindless flak. I don't blame the lawyers. I still blame the management at Papa Johns. Management should grow a proper pair, and then tell their lawyers to prepare to defend armed employees.
Easier to look for a new job than a new head.
There must be a shooting range nearby that could use a new trainee.
The lawyers will lobby against your proposed law and kill it. This is their livelihood.
Tell you what: You come on over to my house, I'll make you a pizza. Then we can discuss this. Capische? < BG >
I am praying that someone in GA can give this woman a job so that she does not have to go back to this terrible company.
I look forward to the food every time I go to NYC.
What Papa John’s and every establishment like them doesn’t realize is if they were to hire only trained drivers with licensed weapons and advertize that fact, the likelihood of armed robbery, or any robbery or assault for that matter, would drop to near zero. Same goes for schools. Get the word out and the criminals will quickly stop seeing them as targets.
If Obama had a son who owned a red baseball hat...
The criminals know this so they will just grab what they want and walk out the door. All you can do is watch and alert authorities.
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