Posted on 04/23/2012 7:07:12 AM PDT by marktwain
A man is arrested for attempting to rob patrons at a Beaumont hot spot.
Beaumont police say the table is turned when patrons at Luke's Ice House on Calder fight back against a robber armed with a gun.
Police say 23-year-old Kenneth Ray Taylor of Beaumont is now in the Jefferson County Jail on bonds totaling $100,000.
He is charged with four counts of aggravated robbery. Police say around 11 p.m. Saturday night, Taylor attempted to rob four people at gunpoint.
One of the victims spoke exclusively with 12 News HD.
Chase Owen has a love for music which drew him to Luke's to watch a band play Saturday night. But what happened to him and a friend in the parking lot is something he will never forget.
People who go to Luke's Icehouse in Beaumont are typically greeted with hot food, cold drinks, and big smiles. But when Chase Owen was leaving the bar Saturday night, he was greeted by a man asking for help.
"The guy said he got robbed and that needed some help," Owen said.
The "guy" is 23-year-old Kenneth Ray Taylor.
Owen and a friend told Taylor to go to Luke's and call police. The Lamar student says he became suspicious when the robber refused.
"We started walking to the car to leave. As soon as we rounded the corner at the back. That's when he pulled out the gun and said 'Don't Move' so we turned around and threw all our stuff to him," Owen said.
Owen says he and his friend jumped into their truck and fled when Taylor began robbing another person. But when they looked back, Owen says he was robbing yet another victim.
Except this time the robber chose the wrong person to mess with.
"He knocked the gun out of the guys hand and picked it up and shot him," Owen said.
Employees from the bar called police.
Officers say Taylor was shot in the calf. Taylor ran south after the robberies but police quickly found and arrested him.
Owen doesn't know the man who disarmed Taylor but appreciates his heroic actions.
"That guy is a hero. He didn't hesitate. He was defending his life, he saved us too," Owen said.
Owen says the incident won't keep him from going back to Luke's but he does think the bar should add some security.
Kenneth Taylor was transported by Beaumont EMS to St. Elizabeth Hospital for his injuries. He was then transported to Jefferson County Jail.
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