Teenage Armed Robber In For A Surprise When Store Clerk Shoots Back — “They Are Supposed To Just Hand Over The Money And Not Try To Stop Anyone.”

PHOENIX, ARIZONA — A 17-year-old was shot in the arm by a store clerk after he tried to rob him. The store clerk was the second stop of the evening after the teenager robbed another gas station down the street.

As the teenager fled the store where he’d been shot, ABC 15 News reported that he found his arm didn’t work. Alarmed that he had been shot, and likely in shock, he fled to a nearby restaurant. The restaurant allowed him safety until police arrived.

The boy admitted to the crimes and appeared utterly surprised that he had been shot.

via ABC 15 News

He allegedly told police that he targeted gas stations because “they are supposed to just hand over the money and not try to stop anyone.”

He will be charged for armed robbery amongst other things but it just makes me wonder, where the hell did he get that idea?

Worse, maybe a lot of other armed criminals out there have the same idea that convenience stores and gas station clerks just roll over and play dead when they see a thug with a gun walk in the door.

This bodes ill for clerks, certainly. I guess it means if you work in a high volume area with a lot of through traffic, prepare for a whole new generation of dumb thugs to think your store and your life are equally up for grabs.

The best solution for this is the simplest: keep that gun close at-hand at all times. In a holster is preferable but if some 17-year-old kid is dumb enough to think your store is just a pile of cash waiting to get grabbed, there’s probably plenty more where he came from.

Now, this 17-year-old is likely going to do a little time in juvie and be back out on the streets in no time. He’ll be wiser next time. That’s the other dangerous side of this equation. Jail is nothing more than Thug University. It’s where you go to get your Bachelor’s or Master’s in Criminal Arts.

Who wants to bet the next time this guy walks into a convenience store, he’s not going to go easy on the clerk?

Armed everyday, everywhere. If you’re not doing it, you’re in for a wild ride.