Armed customer stops holdup

[dixidawg]

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/14967933/detail.html

INDIANAPOLIS -- A customer at a grocery store stopped an armed robbery by pulling his own gun and holding the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived, authorities said.

Charlie Merrell, 51, was standing in a checkout lane at Bucks IGA Supermarket on Indianapolis' south side when a masked man jumped over a nearby counter and held a gun on a store employee, according to a police report made public Wednesday.

While the suspect demanded cash from workers, Merrell pulled his own handgun, pointed it at the robber and ordered him to put down his weapon, the report said. After a moment the suspect placed his gun and the cash on the counter, removed his mask and lay on the floor. Merrell held him at gunpoint Monday until police arrived and arrested the suspect.

Police said the suspect's gun was not loaded. Merrell had a valid permit to carry his gun, which was loaded, police said.

The suspect, identified as Dwain Smith, 19, was being held Wednesday night in Marion County Jail on initial charges of robbery, criminal confinement, pointing a firearm, battery and carrying a handgun without a license.

 

[Scrivener]

This is, of course, A Good Thing.

However, the full story is that our Intrepid Citizen did not have a round in the chamber and did not chamber a round until after he pointed his (useless) gun at the perp and the perp did not immediately drop his gun.

Those were two potentially fatal mistakes. The good news is the bad guy blinked!

 

[Jaxon]

WTF... who carries without a round in the chamber?

Which is probably why he ordered the guy to put down his weapon. That seldom works out as planned.

 

[Scrivener]

WTF... who carries without a round in the chamber?

The Israelis.

But they also rack the slide as part of the draw. The Intrepid Citizen apparently missed that part of the drill.........

 

[vellnueve]

Of course, the bad guy made a more potentially fatal mistake in that his gun wasn't even loaded.

 

[Jaxon]

The Israelis.

But they also rack the slide as part of the draw. The Intrepid Citizen apparently missed that part of the drill.........

So they carry pistols unchambered? I suppose they do so as well with their carbines? interesting. Not a drill I'd want to learn.

 

[ochmude]

Depending on the circumstances, I could somewhat understand. I know in Iraq the gunners on our convoy security teams often drove in condition 3. The ROE is so restrictive that you have to ask questions first, shoot later...after also waving flags, flashing your lights, honking your horn, popping smoke, and shooting pen flares. The locals may not understand English (or claim not to). But the sound of racking a 240G is one that crosses all language barriers.

 

[abiffmaster]

Of course, the bad guy made a more potentially fatal mistake in that his gun wasn't even loaded.

Since he probably didn't own the gun legally(I assume he stole it). He probably couldn't legally purchase ammo after he used them on some other yute.

 

[M1911]

Since he probably didn't own the gun legally(I assume he stole it). He probably couldn't legally purchase ammo after he used them on some other yute.

This is Indiana you're talking about, not MA. They don't need no stinking firearms license in order to buy ammo. He may well have been a federally prohibited person (due to a previous felony), but that wouldn't stop him from going to a Walmart in Indianoplace and buying some ammo.

 

[Martlet]

WTF... who carries without a round in the chamber?

Which is probably why he ordered the guy to put down his weapon. That seldom works out as planned.

I'll carry the chamber empty sometimes, though not often. Racking the slide adds less than a second to my shots on target time.

 

[USMC109]

I'll carry the chamber empty sometimes, though not often. Racking the slide adds less than a second to my shots on target time.

Sometimes that's all it takes!

 

[M1911]

I'll carry the chamber empty sometimes, though not often. Racking the slide adds less than a second to my shots on target time.

I recommend that people choose a way to carry (chamber empty or chamber loaded) and always carry that way. If I sometimes carried chamber empty, sometimes chamber loaded, and then found myself in extremis, I'd probably draw, pull the trigger, and hear an impossibly loud "click." Not a good situation. I'm sure you are familiar with the phrase "train the way you fight, fight the way you train."

In addition, while you can chamber a round quickly, you can likely only do that when you have both hands free. The problem is, your support hand may be busy -- fending off the perp, holding your child, holding your groceries, pushing your spouse to safety, etc. There are techniques for chambering a round with one hand, but that takes more than a little bit of practice to do it quickly and reliably.

 

[Martlet]

I recommend that people choose a way to carry (chamber empty or chamber loaded) and always carry that way. If I sometimes carried chamber empty, sometimes chamber loaded, and then found myself in extremis, I'd probably draw, pull the trigger, and hear an impossibly loud "click." Not a good situation. I'm sure you are familiar with the phrase "train the way you fight, fight the way you train."

In addition, while you can chamber a round quickly, you can likely only do that when you have both hands free. The problem is, your support hand may be busy -- fending off the perp, holding your child, holding your groceries, pushing your spouse to safety, etc. There are techniques for chambering a round with one hand, but that takes more than a little bit of practice to do it quickly and reliably.

Whether I chamber a round or not depends on what I'm carrying and where I'm carrying it. I have one firearm I don't chamber a round in, and I carry that differently.

I appreciate you explaining how to chamber a round and the situations that make it difficult to do so, however I'm a little familiar with them. When I carry the firearm that I don't carry a round chambered in, I do so for a reason, and I do so in a manner I've found balances regulations, safety, and peace of mind.

I'm not someone who woke up yesterday and decided to purchase a handgun.

 

[Martlet]

Sometimes that's all it takes!

Sometimes not even. It's a chance I take.