The robber walked past a parking lot full of police cruisers, walks into the shop, pulls out a gun, fires a round into the ceiling, and shouts "THIS IS A--"
I remember hitting the floor and (a) losing control of my sphincters, (b) hoping that the cops had been to the pistol range recently, and (c) realizing that two dozen semi-autos going off at once is REALLY LOUD.
I was on TDY in Tampa back in '85 and there were 4 or 5 of us in a rental van. One of the guys wanted to stop by a donut shop on the way back to the hotel and pick up something for a quick late night snack. We had initially parked on the side of the building and after he went into the shop, we had a great idea for a practical joke. We pulled out with the lights off and positioned the van to make a "grand entrance/getaway". As he exited the shop, we sped toward him, slammed on the brakes, threw the side door open and grabbed him, threw him into the van and then sped off. We thought it was hilarious.....
An hour or so later, one of the guys used the van to go buy a pack of cigarettes and noticed a cop following him into the 711 parking lot. When he came out, there was a second car and they followed him back toward the hotel. As he approached a 4 way stop, 2 more cop cars screeched to stop in front of him to block his escape (with guns drawn) and a police helicopter hit the van with a spotlight. He tried to play dumb about the whole thing until they searched the van. As fate would have it, we had tie down rope and a roll of duct tape in the van that were used ealier in the day to secure some equipment."Uh oh...Houston....we have a problem"
Needless to say, somebody in the shop got the tag number of the van and called it in as a kidnapping. The van was a rental, registered to an Air Force Officer on TDY in the area. This meant the OSI was immediately involved, they in-turn were kind enough to notify our Commander to inform him of the situation.
The moral of this story.....don't screw around near a donut shop! ;o)
Even as a lawbiding citizen, when I go into a gun shop, I feel that those working their are well armed. Most stores around here have big signs saying no unholstered handguns are to be carried in the store. The last time I brought my 357 Mag into a store it was in a backpack and a holster and I proved to the guy it was unloaded as I took it out.