MILLCREEK - A man who attempted to rob a convenience store left empty handed after a clerk surprised him with a gun.
According to charging documents, Luis Guiterrez Gonzales entered the Tesoro convenience store at 12 W. 3900 South at 11:47 a.m. Monday brandishing a knife.
Gonzales demanded money from the clerk, who in turn produced a pistol, police said.
The clerk, Ahmed Nazir, owns the Tesoro, and said he keeps the gun around for protection. In the five years he has owned the gas station, Monday was the first time he had to reach for it. Nazir said he did so with discretion, letting Gonzales know he had a gun in his hand.
"He just walked all the way over here, pulled out his knife and said, 'Hey, open the register and give me your money.' I thought, 'Wow,' " Nazir said. "I pulled out my gun and I said, 'Just leave your knife here and leave the store.' And he left."
Gonzales then fled the scene, leaving the knife at the Tesoro.
Nazir called police, who found Gonzales moments later at a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant on the corner of State Street and 3900 South.
The man was booked on investigation for one count of aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony.
What would have happened if the store owner did not have a gun? The likely scenarios are these: He might have been stabbed. He would certainly have been robbed of his money in the register. An armed robber might have remained on the loose. Having a gun removed all those possibilities. The gun created a happy ending. Justice was served - nobody was hurt - a criminal was apprehended - the store was not disrupted - nobody was injured, killed or maimed. Democrats are on the wrong side of the gun issues of our day....
