A manager of a sporting goods store in Florida is back on the job after public outcry over the fact that he was fired because he tackled a so-called customer who decided to try to steal a gun.
Dean Crouch had heard his colleagues yelling about the theft and he responded by chasing down the sticky-fingered patron before he got out of the store.
Higher-ups at Academy Sports + Outdoors responded by terminating Crouch for touching a customer, apparently lumping someone who takes a product without paying for it into the same category as everyday shoppers.
As news of the act spread, reactions started pouring in—with most considering Crouch a hero for thwarting any future criminal acts by the suspect, who had stolen two guns from a pawn shop earlier that day.
After Crouch tackled the man, he was escorted into the office to wait for the police. There, the troublemaker admitted that he had planned to shoot someone.
“I am pleased to report that the head of Academy Sports + Outdoors stores spoke with Mr. Crouch and offered him his job back and Mr. Crouch accepted,” attorney Ryan Hobbs told the Tallahassee Democrat.
