South Seattle store owner brings a stick to a gunfight
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SEATTLE -- The South Seattle grocery store owner who used a piece of wood to scare off a gun-wielding robber earlier this week said he was just trying to protect himself and his business.
Police say a masked man walked into Victory Grocery Monday at roughly 9:45 p.m. and demanded money from an employee.
As the robber was fumbling with the cash register, the store's owner, Gemere Amara, came storming out of a back room armed with a 2x4. Amara charged at the robber, who turned around and ran for the door.
"I got a stick because he had a gun," Amara said. "I just, you know, (wanted to) protect myself."
After chasing him out of the store and down the street, police say the robber fired two shots at Amara. Luckily, both missed.
The gunman then jumped into a black, four-door sedan with another man, who may have been acting as a lookout. The car sped away heading southbound on 44th Avenue South.
"We always say, do what you have to do to get out of a situation to make yourself safe. Chasing someone with a 2x4, you don't know if they are armed or not. Maybe, maybe not," said Renee Witt of the Seattle Police Department.
For his part, Amara admits the incident was scary but said he doesn't know what he could have done differently.
"That time, I don't know what I'm doing. I just (tried to) protect myself. I don't have a gun. I don't have anything, so what are you going to do?" he said.
He also said he's going to buy a gun in the near future.
The robber is described as a black man in his 20s who stands 6'2" inches tall and weighs roughly 160 pounds. Witnesses said he had a slim build, wore a camouflage jacket and a green mask.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the robbery unit at (206) 684-5535.
Police say a masked man walked into Victory Grocery Monday at roughly 9:45 p.m. and demanded money from an employee.
As the robber was fumbling with the cash register, the store's owner, Gemere Amara, came storming out of a back room armed with a 2x4. Amara charged at the robber, who turned around and ran for the door.
"I got a stick because he had a gun," Amara said. "I just, you know, (wanted to) protect myself."
After chasing him out of the store and down the street, police say the robber fired two shots at Amara. Luckily, both missed.
The gunman then jumped into a black, four-door sedan with another man, who may have been acting as a lookout. The car sped away heading southbound on 44th Avenue South.
"We always say, do what you have to do to get out of a situation to make yourself safe. Chasing someone with a 2x4, you don't know if they are armed or not. Maybe, maybe not," said Renee Witt of the Seattle Police Department.
For his part, Amara admits the incident was scary but said he doesn't know what he could have done differently.
"That time, I don't know what I'm doing. I just (tried to) protect myself. I don't have a gun. I don't have anything, so what are you going to do?" he said.
He also said he's going to buy a gun in the near future.
The robber is described as a black man in his 20s who stands 6'2" inches tall and weighs roughly 160 pounds. Witnesses said he had a slim build, wore a camouflage jacket and a green mask.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the robbery unit at (206) 684-5535.
A man I saw every day here in Ballard cooperated entirely with the punk who had a gun last year. Â After the punk had the money and was leaving, he turned around and shot twice, and killed a real nice guy for no reason at all. Â You just don't know what's going to happen no matter what you do. Â
Quite stupid what the owner did. Just give them the money and let the police do their job. I'd only fight back if doing so puts my life in less danger, not in more.
These hooligans don't mess with Granny_MAC. I know 'Ching-Ching-Pow'.  No, it's not karate. It's 12 gauge.
 @Granny_MAC Very nice.  I have a 45 semi-auto.  I think it's telling me that it's defensive art is "Chik-Shik-Pow".
Not the best course of action, but the store owner certainly has balls. Which is more than you can say for the thugs.
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Store owner: 2, Thugs: 0.
So, hmmm...Glad he had some lumber on hand!. Hope he didn't pull that out of the wall. :P
Time to trade in the 2 x 4 for a 12 gauge pump shotgun - bang, cha-ching bang, cha-ching repeat as required...
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Nothing gets their attention like the action on a pump shotgun shoving another shell in to the chamber!
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Excellent job Amara!
Hopefully the street cred for these two punks goes down a few notches. They are both running like little scared puppies from a guy with pre-processed newspaper.
Too bad he wasn't able to whack the POS with his board -- that would have been a little rough justice. I hope the store owner does get a gun and put him and his employees through gun safety training.  If they hit your store once, they will do it again.
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good for him, but the store owner is lucky. Â waiting for the anti-gun crowd to use this story as justification that a piece of wood works just as well for personal/property protection...
 @nobelprizeme Keep waiting. The story is 20 hours old LOL
not having a gun was not smart chasing him with a stick out the store not bright keep going down the street while he still shooting at you is just stupid.
Suggest you "arm" yourself with wasp spray in the meantime. I hear it works well, has a 20 foot range, and gets rid of pests. You don't need a permit for it, either.
that's not bright either
It's called a Reverse Stick-up! Gemere, thank you. You're a real cowboy. That's what I like to see. A real Man.
@Granny_MAC Yeah probably not that smart, but at least he had the balls to protect his property and then some.Â
He's lucky to be alive. Not smart Amara, not smart.Â
"After chasing him out of the store and down the street, police say the robber fired two shots at Amara. Luckily, both missed."
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I'll bet the thug was holding the pistol sideways.
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Mr. Amara, get yourself a short-barrel shotgun with a modified choke. Aim anywhere close to the thug and pull the trigger.
 @Furd And not only holding the pistol sideways, but using his other hand to hold up his pants.
his pants were pulled up this time, perhaps this is the new banger give away....
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pants low = just looking tough
pants high = propable cause for crime in progress
 @Robinsnest LOL
 @Robinsnest LOL!
Think ahead. Â Arm yourself BEFORE you have one of these thugs show up...
It's great to see someone fight back against these savages.
"He also said he's going to buy a gun in the near future."
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Excellent plan, but there's a slight problem. Â Between now and when the waiting period ends allowing you to actually take possession of your new firearm, Â every gangbanger, gangsta wannabee and sundry lowlife on the planet knows that you are unarmed and they know what to expect when they rob your store. Â Criminal trash read the news also, just like decent people do, except with a different purpose in mind.
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I would highly recommend that you have a trained, legal gun owner friend be there in your shop whenever it's open; if you don't know someone like that then you really ought to hire an off-duty Police Officer to be on guard there whenever your store is open. Â You've just broadcast to the world that you're unarmed, and that makes you an instant Target Of Choice for criminal trash. Â Hopefully you'll be more reserved in your replies the next time you're interviewed by the media, and hopefully you'll get yourself on a fast track to firearms competency through aggressive, proper training. Â Good luck to you, Mr. Amara, and don't delay your firearms purchase.
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@Stoat He may be unarmed but who says his employees are? or random customers?
The point is that he (and KOMO) have gone out of their way to make sure that everyone knows that he's not a gun owner, which is why he used the 2x4, and this places him, his family as well as his employees and customers at grave, immediate risk. Â If his employees begin carrying on the job that's wonderful of course (the employee mentioned in the article apparently wasn't), as would be the lucky turn of events if an armed customer happened to be in the shop during a future robbery. Â At the moment, Mr. Amara and KOMO have painted a target on his back and that of his employees, in the eyes of criminals, that will not be erased anytime soon. Â One of the longstanding rules of carrying a concealed weapon, as well as simple common sense, Â is to never let it be known whether you're armed or not because this gives crucial tactical information to potential assailants.
"The robber is described as a black man in his 20s who stands 6'2" inches tall and weighs roughly 160 pounds."
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Oh MY!! Â Its the END I tell you...the END of the world! Â Soon Cats will take up with Dogs! Day shall be as Night and Night as Day!
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KOMO Described a non-white suspect!
 @Woodswalker IF Obama had son would he look like this guy...??Â
This is always what happens when barbarians are allowed within the walls of civilization.
OMG!!!! KOMO just actually gave the description of the criminal as a "black" man. Alert the media!!!
Poorly written headline. I was under the impression that he came to a scene where there was a gunfight with a stick, rather than what it really is; a store owner protecting himself and his business with a piece of lumber! I wasn't aware a piece of lumber was a sick, unless if your Chuck Norris. Glad he was able to protect himself though.
 @Zoso The headline is a take-off on a common saying that it's a bad idea to bring a knife to a gunfight. It's usually used figuratively to refer to someone finding themselves unprepared for a situation. The idiom was probably introduced in "The Untouchables" (the 1987 movie, not the book).
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-does-bring-a-knife-to-a-gunfight-mean.htm
http://movies.stackexchange.com/questions/2731/origin-of-knife-to-a-gunfight-quote
@Zoso Do you really expect anything other than misleading headlines from Komo?Â
He needs a CPL for that 2x4!!! LOL. While a gun might of been intimidating that 2x4 scared the dickens out of the would be thieves.
Most crooks are cowards when it comes to those who would fight back. They were expecting an easy mark and bit off more than they could chew. The store cleck was lucky though that he did not get shot. I hope that the lowlifes get caught soon or even better reconsider their career options to getting an honest job.
 @Charl317 Agreed, most of these punks are bullies who are used to their victims cowering in fear at the first sign of aggression. It's amazing how quickly these punks buckle when the would be victim pushes back. This situation proves my point. A would be victim with a 2 x 4 scares off a punk with a loaded gun.Â
 @Charl317 Shouldn't that be a CSL, since he was armed with a "stick"?  Come to think of it, that stick would be a little hard to conceal.
 @Tim Lane  Washington Law: Seattle: You may not carry a concealed weapon that is longer than six feet.
 @Glassman You've. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me.Â
That's about as stupid as the Chico, CA law against testing nuclear weapons.
Next time he may not be so lucky to get chicken little for a thief. If this were rock-paper-scissors, gun beats stick every time.
That's not a stick - that's a piece of lumber! Â I was picturing this guy with a twig when I read the headlines! Â LOL!
Dumb and Dumber....LOL!!!!
Wow, yeah, I would also get a gun if I were running/working at a convenience store.
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Make sure to also get proper training and a CPL as well.
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Remember, store owner: Â all it takes is one properly placed shot and you could have just as easily been killed or disabled. Â I understand the instinct and while this comment is hindsight, but is it really worth getting killed or maimed over the few dollars in the register? Â I'm not trying to be overly critical, but I bet you maintain a low-ish cash balance in the register as it is.
Pretty intense video, must've been pretty scary for the guy who came peeking around the corner after the gun was fired.Â