Three women leaving a bar just after midnight on Jan. 24 in Cape Coral, Fla., allegedly were pursued by a man who bought them drinks and then began acting erratically. The women flagged down a passing pickup truck and begged the driver to let them in, which he did. When their pursuer approached the truck, the driver protecting the women displayed his firearm and told the suspect to back off. The suspect reportedly walked away laughing, got in his vehicle and chased them. He then drove in front of them, put his vehicle in reverse and began ramming the truck until the vehicles’ bumpers lodged together. The driver of the truck, fearing for the safety of himself and his passengers, fired shots toward the assailant. Both men exited their vehicles, and the armed citizen held the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived. The Cape Coral Police Department confirmed the armed citizen acted in self-defense, while the suspect faced four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (his truck). (capecops.com, Cape Coral, Fla., 1/24/20, and fox4now.com, Fort Myers, Fla., 1/24/20)
A middle-aged nurse stopped at a Starbucks in Tucson, Ariz., on her way home from work around 7 p.m. on Jan. 17. After she returned to her car, a man with a knife reportedly entered on the passenger side and—without saying a word—began hitting her repeatedly in the face, neck and torso. The woman, who is ex-military, said she was able to grab the man’s knife hand and retrieve her firearm from her purse with her other hand. She pointed the firearm at the man and told him to stop or she would shoot. The man fled and was still being sought by police. (kgun9.com, Tucson, Ariz., 1/20/20)
A gas station clerk in Duluth, Ga., acted quickly to stop an attempted robbery on Jan. 28. A man entered the store with his face covered by a shirt and armed with a knife. The knife-wielding man reportedly ran toward the clerk, who shot him one time in the left leg. The event was caught on the gas station’s security video, and the suspect faces several charges including attempted armed robbery and aggravated assault. (cbs46.com, Gwinnett County, Ga., 1/28/20)
A homeowner returning home in Pascagoula, Miss., around noon on Jan. 7 discovered a burglar inside. The armed intruder reportedly pulled out a gun, and the homeowner responded by drawing his own gun. The homeowner shot the burglar dead. The intruder had a criminal history and was suspected of committing several burglaries. Police said the homeowner was defending himself in his own home, and they do not expect to file criminal charges. (gulflive.com, Pascagoula, Miss., 1/9/20)
An armed robber in Allentown, Pa., was shot in a strip mall on Jan. 23 after robbing one store and attempting to rob a second one. The man reportedly first went into the strip mall’s liquor store at 8 p.m., held the employees at gunpoint and robbed it. He then went into the next store of the strip mall, which was a pizza restaurant, and again threatened the employees. As the suspect attempted the second robbery, however, an armed employee from the liquor store came in and shot him. The robber fled, but collapsed in the parking lot and died of his wounds. Investigators reviewed the security video footage and declared the shooting “justifiable on the grounds of self-defense.” (lehighvalleylive.com, Allentown, Pa., 1/24/20)
Four males attempted to rob a pizza-delivery driver in Charlotte, N.C., around midnight on Jan. 20. The suspects allegedly approached the driver and pointed a rifle at his head, but the delivery driver drew his concealed-carry firearm and fired several rounds. The assailants then fled the scene, but were arrested shortly afterward. Police conducted a search for the gun and discovered it was a toy rifle painted to look like a real one. Three of the suspects were treated for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, and all four were facing charges including conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon. (fox46charlotte.com, Charlotte, N.C., 1/21/20)
A 22-year-old armed citizen successfully evaded an apparent carjacking attempt in St. Louis, Mo. The man parked his car outside a residence at 6 p.m. on Jan. 13 when a red pickup truck pulled up alongside him. The man told police that a masked passenger exited the truck, pointed a gun at him and demanded his keys. The man complied, but the alleged carjacker tried to shoot him anyway. The gun jammed, however, so the victim was able to retrieve his own gun and fire several shots. The attacker fled on foot, and the accomplice drove off in the truck. Police were investigating. (stltoday.com, St. Louis, Mo., 1/13/20)
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