Armed Robbery at Yuma Gas Station Foiled by Customer

Three young robbery suspects in Yuma, Arizona, may want to consider a career change. Their apprenticeship as armed robbers recently suffered a severe setback because of an unexpected customer.

The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, as reported by ABC 15, released a Chevron gas station minimart surveillance video of an alleged armed robbery attempt. The incident occurred at 4:30 am on Wednesday. Three individuals are suspected of this crime.

A customer is apparently speaking with the clerk, who is out of view. Then two masked men burst into the store, led by a man armed with a handgun. The third miscreant never got a chance to enter the store.

The apparent ringleader points his gun at the store clerk and near the face of the sole customer in the store.

In an instinctive, reflexive reaction, the customer instantly disarms the alleged robber. The customer was a man who’d served in the U.S. Marine Corps.

The suspect’s two accomplices, exhibiting that discretion is also the better part of cowardice, tucked tail and tore out of there.

According to FOX News, though the other suspects fled, the customer held the suspect and turned him over to Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) deputies when they arrived. Deputies took the suspect into custody and transported him to the Yuma County Juvenile Justice Center. They booked him on aggravated assault and armed robbery charges.

Reports say the customer, whose name has not been released, told the deputies, “The Marine Corps taught me not to [mess] around.”

The YCSO is still looking for the two other suspects who remain outstanding.

The sheriff’s office asks anyone with information about the crime to call the YCSO at (928) 783-4427. Callers may provide information anonymously.

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Steve Pomper

Steve Pomper is an author, freelance writer, and retired Seattle police officer. During his career, he served as a field training officer, on the Community Police Team, and as a mountain bike patrol coordinator. He’s written five books, including The Obama Gang and De-Policing America, and he is a contributor to the National Police Association and a freelance writer for The Tatum Report.

Originally from New England, he’s a Boston sports fan. He now lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, Jody, a retired firefighter. He enjoys spending time with his adult kids and three grandchildren.