Thieves Threaten Hotel Clerk With Bolt Cutters, Clerk Pulls Out Gun And Fires

LAFAYETTE, INDIANA — Any job where you work the late hours of the night and early hours of the morning can be dangerous. These seem to be the magic hours when people with bad intentions are roaming the streets looking for trouble. In the case of our overnight hotel clerk, he had to deal with a pair of thieves.

The clerk had been called away from the front desk area to another part of the hotel, and when he returned to the lobby about 3 a.m., he found a man and a woman trying to get into the register, according to police.

The clerk yelled at the two  then chased them out of the hotel, running south from the hotel’s entrance in the 3900 block of South Street, according to police.

One of the suspects — the man — stopped and raised a pair of bolt cutters above his head to threaten the pursuing clerk, according to police. That’s when the clerk drew his sidearm and fired one shot at the man, police said.

Police found a spent shell casing matching the clerk’s pistol. Officers could not find any indication of the bullet striking any nearby buildings, cars or property, police said.

They also have no evidence that the bullet struck the man with the bolt cutters, and no one had shown up at area hospitals with a bullet wound, police said.

Via The Journal and Courier

The pair of thieves seized on the opportunity to pounce on the register while the clerk was gone. When he came back and found them trying to break into it, he chased them off. During that brief chase, one of the thieves turned around and threatened the clerk with a pair of bolt-cutters. The clerk responded by pulling out his handgun and firing.

At this point the pair of thieves fled for their lives. The clerk made the smart decision to not chase them any further, especially after drawing his firearm. Remember, if you start chasing and shooting at someone running away, you’ve become the aggressor.

When police arrived, they were unable to determine where the shot landed. They could find no damage to nearby cars, signs, or buildings. No one showed up at local hospitals with a bullet wound. Police have not filed charges against the clerk for the shooting.

Anyone who works in a public space during these hours should very seriously consider carrying a firearm to work. Some bad people, unfortunately, look to prey on those working alone and when others are not nearby. A firearm and some training can keep you alive in those situations.