Frail-looking gunman begs for oxygen tank after scuffle, police say
Posted on 05/20/2004 7:16:36 AM PDT by csvset
Frail-looking gunman begs for oxygen tank after scuffle, police say
Beacon Journal staff writer
An oxygen-dependent man who tried to rob a convenience store Wednesday had to beg for his portable breathing tank after an aggressive clerk tackled him.
William Basil Armstrong is accused of entering the Clark Mart at 2115 East Ave. in Kenmore about 10:30 a.m. and ordering the clerk to fill a bag with money. Akron police say Armstrong, 56, was armed with a loaded .40-caliber handgun.
The clerk didn't flinch when the frail-looking robber flashed a gun tucked at his hip.
``I was like `Man, get on,' '' gas station owner and clerk Imran Surani said. ``I didn't take it seriously.''
When the robber pulled the gun out and pointed it at him through bulletproof glass, Surani still wasn't moved.
The robber fled the store, and Surani caught up to him and tackled him.
During the struggle outside, the robber pointed his gun at Surani but could not find the trigger to shoot. Surani then slapped the man in the face, causing him to drop the gun.
At that point, the robber pleaded with Surani: ``Please, get my oxygen tank out of my car!''
A woman who was about to pump gas saw the scuffle and ran over. She rushed to a small red car parked in the station lot and retrieved a portable tank. She moved the gun away so the robber couldn't reach for it again.
``He maybe felt he needed the oxygen tank to help him relax,'' Surani said of the panicked robber.
Armstrong is charged with aggravated robbery, attempted aggravated murder and felonious assault.
Surani, a Pakistan native, is relieved he was able to control the situation. He said he ran after the robber because he feared the man would target another store and maybe harm someone.
``Me being a foreigner, this is the least I could do for America,'' he said. ``I feel I'm obligated to save somebody else's life down the road.
``This just shows you that when a robber comes in -- regardless of what age he is or how frail he is -- you always should take him seriously.''
Tip of the hat to you, Imran.
Ping
A guy that feeble trying to carry out an armed robbery? Talk about weird.
Obviously, the poor economy and lack of healthcare forced this man to take drastic action. It's Bush's fault. /sarcasm
They penitentiary guards will be more than happy to keep him supplied with oxygen when he gets there. </sarcasm>
Methinks he wants three hots and a cot.
What about the robber's get-away wheelchair?
If Bush wasn't killing social security and causing the elderly to eat dog food, this crime wouldn't be occuring. It's all GWB's fault!
Naw... he just needed to fill up his gas tank.
LOL
Uh, dog food is more expensive than human food. :-)
Reminds me of the time the liberal Northern press was interviewing George Wallace, trying to demean him, and asked, "Why is it that Northern blacks are eating fried chicken and Southern blacks have to eat bologna sandwiches?"
His answer was, "Well, I guess those poor, ol' Northern blacks just can't afford bologna."
At the time chicken was like 15 cents a pound and bologna was 80 - 90 cents a pound. :-)
Wasn't getting enough oxygen to the brain apparently to think this one through.
Thank goodness it ended well.
That is harsh. He didn't respect the thief enough to even punch him; he bitch-slapped him into submission.
FMCDH
Agreed, Bush is personally responsible for all this guy's problems. Perhaps Kerry can trot him on stage as a Bush bashing speech prop.
A tip of the hat to Surani!
Welcome aboard, Surani. Glad to have you.
Good for him. He's more "American" than most natives here.
But that America is now dead.
It has been replaced by a totalitarian police state oligarchy. He'll be lucky if he doesn't get charged with some crime for chasing down the bad guy.
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