Category: Fighting back
Thug pulls gun in convenience store, but clerk also is armed — and isn’t having one bit of it
Memphis police released video showing what went down after a male pulled a gun during an attempted robbery in a convenience store Monday morning, WHBQ-TV reported.
Police said video shows a man dressed in a white hoodie starting to pull out a gun inside the Quick Check Store on Alcy Road near Perry Road around 10 a.m., the station said.
‘Criminals beware and think twice!’
But police said the armed male at that moment jerks back and runs away, WHBQ reported.
Police said the clerk fired a shot at the would-be robber and struck him, the station noted.
Later Tuesday, police released doorbell camera video showing the suspect unmasked and dressed in an orange sweatshirt running into a home, WHBQ reported.
The new video also zeroes in on some type of stain in the suspect’s chest area, the station said.
Police added to WHBQ that they’re still looking for the suspect, who’s described as between the ages of 18 and 22 and standing about 5 feet 5 inches tall with a tattoo over one of his eyebrows.
The station also said he was wearing black pants and black shoes as well as a red shirt underneath his white hoodie.
More from WHBQ:
Under Tennessee’s Stand Your Ground Law, the clerk was within their rights to shoot. It says any person is justified in using force if they reasonably believe there is an imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury. Pulling out that gun would enforce that “reasonable” belief.
The clerk had no duty to retreat or try to get away but could, as the law states, stand their ground.
Those with information about the suspect’s whereabouts are asked to call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH, the station said.
Commenters under WHBQ’s Facebook post about the incident did not hold back:
- “I bet he won’t go back to that store to try and rob it,” one commenter stated.
- “Good job store clerk,” another user added.
- “Need more of this type of news,” another commenter declared.
- “Criminals beware and think twice!” another user noted.
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Top 5 of 2025: Everyday people who turned the tables on armed thugs
When everyday people find themselves presumably overmatched and outgunned by armed crooks — and end up turning the tables on the thugs breaking the law — it’s nothing short of inspiring.
In 2025, Blaze News ran across its fair share of such stories. Such as when a concealed-carrying garbage truck driver found himself facing down a pair of would-be armed robbers — and won the battle … or when five armed males forced their way into a California home, only to find themselves on the losing end of things when the homeowner grabbed his own gun … and best tale of all, when a gun-wielding thug demanded a Rolex from a man on a West Hollywood street. The crook’s problem? His target allegedly was a retired wrestler. Oops!
So check out our satisfying top-five instances when everyday people turned the tables on armed thugs:
Home invasion victim fights armed burglar, then turns the tables on him — with deadly results
A Houston home invasion victim fought an armed burglar on the night of April 9, police said — and the victim turned the tables on the crook, taking his gun away and then shooting him dead with it.
Police told KPRC-TV that three burglars targeted an apartment on Westridge Street near the NRG Stadium in the southeast part of the city a little after 9 p.m. One of the masked males knocked on the door while the two others tried breaking in through a window, the station said, citing a police news release. The residents called 911 by that time, KPRC reported.
Police said one of the burglars pointed a gun at the two tenants, and a fight ensued after one of the tenants knocked the gun out of the burglar’s hands, the station reported.
During the fight, police told KPRC the burglar “pulled out a second gun from his waistband.” But the 20-year-old apartment resident who was fighting the burglar wrestled the gun away from the suspect and shot him, the station said.
The two other burglars ran off by the time police arrived, KPRC said, adding that the third burglar, who was shot during the fight, died from his injuries. Police have identified the deceased burglar only as an 18-year-old male, the station said.
No charges have been filed against the homeowner, KPRC said, but police confirmed that the Harris County District Attorney’s Office was contacted and that a grand jury would review the case.
Concealed-carrying garbage truck driver turns the tables on wannabe armed robbers — 1 of whom pays ultimate price
A concealed-carrying garbage truck driver turned the tables in late January on a pair of would-be armed robbers in Chicago, fatally shooting one of them and wounding the other, police said.
Chicago police told WLS-TV the shoot-out occurred around 5:15 a.m. Jan. 31, just steps away from a high school. The station, citing police, said a 28-year-old man working as a garbage truck driver was outside in the 900 block of South Homan Avenue when two males approached him, showed a gun, and announced a robbery.
But it seems the pair chose unwisely.
Police told WLS the suspects and the victim — who has a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification card and concealed carry license — engaged in a shoot-out.
One of the suspects, 42, was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene, the station reported. The other suspect, 20, was shot in the neck and was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in critical condition, WLS noted.
The victim was taken to St. Anthony Hospital in good condition for an evaluation, the station said.
Police recovered two weapons from the scene, the station said, adding that Area Four detectives are investigating.
Gun-wielding thug demands Rolex from man. But victim allegedly is a retired wrestler — and the tables are about to turn.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told Blaze News that deputies responded just before 1 p.m. Oct. 22 to the 900 block of North Sweetzer Avenue in West Hollywood regarding an armed robbery call.
According to the victim, a dark-colored sedan was seen traveling down the street at a high rate of speed before stopping near his location, authorities said.
As you might expect, the driver didn’t need directions.
The sheriff’s department told Blaze News that an adult black male wearing a mask exited the vehicle holding a semiautomatic handgun and demanded the victim’s Rolex watch. But the victim refused to comply, and a physical struggle ensued, authorities said.
Patrick McCloskey told KTLA-TV he was working from home when he heard a woman screaming from the sidewalk: “The chaos was so intense, I didn’t know who jumped who. I ran to the door to see what was happening. At that point, I hear her yell, ‘Get the gun, get the gun!'”
Apparently getting hold of the gun wasn’t too difficult for the victim, as McCloskey explained to the station that the gunman “didn’t know that the guy was a retired wrestler. So he was able to get the gun off the guy and wrestle him down.”
Video of the incident’s aftermath shows the victim — who didn’t want to be identified — telling a deputy that he grabbed the gunman’s wrist and put him on the ground before taking the gun away, KTLA reported. The victim’s girlfriend then threw the gun over a nearby fence, and he held the suspect down until police arrived, the station said.
The sheriff’s department told Blaze News that a second adult male suspect exited the vehicle during the struggle but fled the scene in the dark-colored sedan prior to the arrival of deputies. Responding deputies recovered the gun and took the suspect into custody without further incident, officials said.
“I was told the gun was loaded,” McCloskey noted to KTLA. “The guy who is sort of the hero in all of this, who was able to pin the guy down, told me he saw a bullet in the chamber.”
McCloskey added to the station that the retired wrestler showed no mercy in his struggle with the gunman: “At one point the guy’s arm got dislocated, and he just held him down.”
5 armed thugs force their way into residence — but gun-toting homeowner isn’t about to back down
When five armed males forced their way into a residence in Los Banos, California, in late March, the homeowner also got himself a gun — and won the confrontation, shooting two of the intruders.
Police Chief Ray Reyna told KFSN-TV that “the homeowner approached the intruders with a gun he legally owns,” after which the chief said a shoot-out ensued with the homeowner shooting two of the suspects.
A dispatcher on police scanner audio indicated that one suspect was wounded in the leg and another was wounded in the stomach, KFSN reported. The two suspects were in custody at a Modesto area hospital where they were expected to survive, the station said. Los Banos is about an hour south of Modesto.
KFSN said police were searching for the other three suspects who escaped the home through a bedroom window and then took off in a car.
The chief told the station that at least four people were inside the home at the time of the incident, and they weren’t hurt.
Reyna added to KFSN that he has reason to believe the intruders are not from the area, and he said police are looking into a possible motive.
Thug picks wrong victim to allegedly point weapon at and chase — and the tables painfully turn on him
Deputies from the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office in upstate New York responded to a reported physical altercation involving a weapon in Vernon on the evening of Dec. 1, officials said. Vernon is about 40 minutes east of Syracuse.
It was reported that an individual was acting erratically and pointed what was believed to be a handgun at two victims, officials said. The two victims tried to retreat into a nearby residence, but the suspect advanced toward them with the weapon, officials said.
A fight then broke out between the suspect and one of the victims, officials said, and the victim managed to get the weapon away from the suspect. Arriving deputies took the suspect into custody without issue, officials said.
The suspect was identified as Glenn A. Wallis, 40, of Vernon, officials said, adding that Wallis was taken to the Kurt B. Wyman Law Enforcement Building.
Wallis was charged with two counts of menacing in the second degree — a class A misdemeanor — along with one count of harassment in the second degree, which officials defined as a “violation.”
However, officials said a member of the Criminal Investigation Unit also charged Wallis with one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, which is a class D felony. According to WUTR-TV, the weapon that Wallis was brandishing was a pistol-style pellet gun. Wallis was then taken to and held at the Oneida County Correctional Facility.
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Top 5 of 2025: Women who fought back when coming face-to-face with crooks
Women have been fighting back for a long time now when confronted by crime, and the year 2025 was no exception.
In one instance, a woman was shopping in a store and used her Second Amendment rights against a male who reportedly was groping other customers and even pulled out a gun and threatened their lives … then we have a story about a mother who hid in a closet with her baby after a man broke into her home, and she permanently ended the threat … and then there was a tale that might make you smile about a woman who faced down a crook and took care of business with her bare hands, to the amazement of her husband.
Here are our top-five moments of 2025 when women decided to take matters into their own hands when facing down criminals:
Video: Woman pulls male intruder out of her car, throws him to the ground with ease — while her amazed husband watches
Astonishing surveillance video from a Hollywood gas station shows the moment when a woman pulled a male intruder out of her car and threw him to the ground with ease.
The woman, Star Carter, was sitting in the driver’s seat of her red Alfa Romeo at the gas station Nov. 4 when a male stranger walked up and tried to open her passenger door, KCBS-TV reported.
Her husband, Michael Carter, was pumping gas at the time and was on the other side of car — and initially thought he successfully told the guy to get lost.
But after Michael got back in the passenger seat, the crook sneaked back and opened the driver-side rear door closest to the gas pump and actually got into the back seat, video shows.
“I’m wrestling with him inside the car,” Michael told the station, “and I’m kinda pushing him and pushing him, and all I know is he just disappeared.”
With that, Star’s husband smiled and told KCBS that “I’m looking over the back, and I said, ‘Oh … ohhh!'”
Michael’s, shall we say, starstruck reaction was due to the fact that his wife got out of her driver’s seat, got to the back door, ripped the intruder right out the car, and tossed him to the ground.
“I don’t condone violence, but I do condone self-defense,” Star told KCBS in the aftermath.
Wisely, the intruder ran off after Star introduced him to the concrete. But she also had some parting advice for him: “I just said, ‘Don’t you ever do no stupid [word redacted in KCBS video] like this again!'”
The station said the Carters actually continued their night out, going to a comedy show at the Hollywood Improv. In the end, her husband was grateful that Star stood up to the crook.
“She is indeed my hero,” Michael noted to KCBS with a laugh in the aftermath. “Thank you, Star!”
Creep with violent past allegedly gropes store customer, threatens to kill others — so woman in store shoots him dead instead
A 42-year-old man followed another customer into the Pink Beauty Supply store in Compton, California, on Oct. 19 and “groped her once inside” the store, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lieut. DeJong told KCBS-TV.
When employees told him to leave, the man allegedly refused and began to verbally assault them and some customers before he started throwing objects inside the store, KCBS added.
Employees and customers noted that the male had an object in his hand that they believed was a knife, the sheriff’s department said, adding that the male made verbal threats that he was going to kill and harm everyone in the store.
With that, one of the customers — not the one he allegedly groped — pulled out a gun, KCBS said.
Fearing for the store employees, herself, and other customers, the sheriff’s department said she fired a warning shot at the male. But the male turned toward her, officials said — and fearing she was going to be attacked, she fired a second shot, striking the male.
DeJong noted to KCBS that “he went down.” The sheriff’s department said the male was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators noted to KCBS that the woman who pulled the trigger was a customer at the store, and she remained at the scene to cooperate with officials. Detectives added to the station that parking lot surveillance video indicates the man was loitering in the area and drinking alcohol.
“He alleged he was a gang member, and LASD says it appears he was a gang member; unknown if still active,” DeJong told KCBS while adding that the male had a lengthy criminal history that included assaults, robberies, thefts, and disturbing the peace.
KNBC-TV said the woman is in her 50s, that she surrendered the gun, and that no one was arrested.
Mother hid from home invader in closet with her baby — then shot thug in the head, police say
A man with a long criminal record faced the ultimate penalty for breaking into the wrong home after discovering an armed mother, according to Illinois police.
The Joliet Police Department said they responded to a residence on Hadrian Drive on the far west side of Joliet around 10:30 p.m. Aug. 15.
Police said they saw signs of forced entry at the home and found an unresponsive man on the second floor with gunshot wounds. Paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene.
They also found a woman at the home with her baby. She told them she hid in a closet in her bedroom with her child after she heard the break in. She also had a handgun with her, and when the man entered the bedroom, she shot him in the head.
Police said they found a screwdriver in the man’s possession and noted he was wearing gloves at the time of the shooting.
The Will County Coroner’s Office identified the man as 36-year-old Shelby Hurd of Chicago. Hurd had been convicted of burglaries in 2022 and 2023 as well as identity theft and burglary in another county. He had been paroled on Feb. 24.
Stalker shows up at woman’s workplace, begins punching her, cops say. But victim has a gun — and she uses it.
A stalker showed up at a woman’s workplace in Pensacola, Florida, on the morning of Feb. 10 and began punching her, police said.
But the victim had a gun on her and shot the male once in the leg in self-defense, police added.
Marquise James, 35, was arrested in connection with the 11:30 a.m. incident at the Downtown Pensacola Holiday Inn, WEAR-TV reported.
Records show James was in the Escambia County Jail on charges of stalking, battery, smuggle contraband, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, resisting an officer, and simple assault. His bond is set at $26,500.
Pensacola Police Officer Mike Wood told WEAR that the stalking “has been going on for quite some time” and that “this male individual has been … using social media, using phones” to do so.
Wood added to the station that “he’s come to her place of employment before, and she told him to leave, and he did. But this time when he came, he saw her in the laundry room, he approached her and began punching her.”
With that, Wood told WEAR that the victim “drew a handgun that she had legally and shot him once in the leg.”
“He’s much larger than she is, and she did what she had to do,” Wood noted to the station, adding that “she did nothing wrong. She was protecting herself like she should have done.”
Police told WEAR that no charges are being filed against the woman.
Wood added to the station that when James “was at the hospital, he kicked one of our officers.” Wood also told WEAR that James “had cocaine and marijuana on him.”
Thug allegedly recorded himself raping woman at gunpoint — before she shot him
A woman said she was sexually assaulted at gunpoint before she was able to retrieve her own gun and shoot the accused rapist, according to Indiana police.
The victim said she was assaulted on the afternoon of Sept. 16 at her home on Meadowlark Drive on the northeast side of Indianapolis, according to court documents.
She said that she was forced to have sex at gunpoint with the male, who was also recording the assault on his cell phone. When the man left the home, she got her gun and shot at him. She appeared to have shot the back window of a blue Toyota that was parked on an adjacent street.
A neighbor called police, and the victim identified the alleged attacker as 23-year-old Trevon Haynes.
About an hour later, a police officer noticed a car with its hazard lights flashing and saw that the driver had been shot in the leg. Haynes was arrested, and police said they found a firearm in the car.
He was charged with rape, intimidation, and burglary, while being armed with a deadly weapon.
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Video: Woman pulls male intruder out of her car, throws him to the ground with ease — while her amazed husband watches
Astonishing surveillance video from a Hollywood gas station shows the moment when a woman pulled a male intruder out of her car and threw him to the ground with ease.
The woman, Star Carter, was sitting in the driver’s seat of her red Alfa Romeo at the gas station Tuesday when a male stranger walked up and tried to open her passenger door, KCBS-TV reported.
‘It was just like that Kendrick Lamar verse [from “Peekaboo”] was playing in my head, you know like, “Bing bop boom bop boom bop bam!”‘
Her husband, Michael Carter, was pumping gas at the time and was on the other side of car.
“I stood up and was like ‘Get outta here!’ and then I walked around this way,” Michael told KCBS, motioning toward the passenger side of the car.
But after Michael got back in the passenger seat, the crook sneaked back and opened the driver-side rear door closest to the gas pump and actually got into the back seat, video shows.
“I’m wrestling with him inside the car,” Michael told the station, “and I’m kinda pushing him and pushing him, and all I know is he just disappeared.”
With that, Star’s husband smiled and told KCBS that “I’m looking over the back, and I said, ‘Oh … ohhh!'”
Michael’s, shall we say, starstruck reaction was due to the fact that his wife got out of her driver’s seat, got to the back door, ripped the intruder right out the car, and tossed him to the ground.
“I don’t condone violence, but I do condone self-defense,” Star told KCBS in the aftermath.
Star described what song was on her brain’s playlist in that moment, telling the station that “it was just like that Kendrick Lamar verse [from ‘Peekaboo’] was playing in my head, you know like, ‘Bing bop boom bop boom bop bam!'”
With a laugh, she added to KCBS, “That’s all I remember. I’m so embarrassed.”
Wisely, the intruder ran off after Star introduced him to the concrete.
But she also had some parting advice for him: “I just said, ‘Don’t you ever do no stupid [word redacted in KCBS video] like this again!'”
The station said the Carters actually continued their night out, going to a comedy show at the Hollywood Improv.
The couple’s unsurprised daughter later told KCBS that “my mommy, she was in like fight or flight — but she definitely fought, and he definitely took flight.”
Star added to the station that she believes the intruder was on drugs at the time of the incident: “I don’t know what this dude is capable of doing at all.”
In the end, her husband was grateful that Star stood up to the crook.
“She is indeed my hero,” Michael noted to KCBS with a laugh in the aftermath. “Thank you, Star!”
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