Miguel Lopez Hernandez, 25, and an armed accomplice entered Kelly Jewelers. The accomplice produced his handgun, ordered the store manager to get on the floor, then tossed a roll of duct tape to Hernandez. The manager, however was quickly able to retrieve his own handgun. The armed assailant dashed out the door upon seeing the firearm, leaving Hernandez armed only with the roll of duct tape. Hernandez was arrested and is under investigation for aggravated robbery; his accomplice remains at large. (KSL 5 News, Midvale, Utah, 3/10/12).
The Armed Citizen Extra
(The following account did not appear in the print version of American Rifleman)
Hall Palmer was taken captive in his own home in July 2011, and it was an antique firearm and family heirloom that helped free him. Palmer was awoken in the early morning hours by an armed intruder that first bound his hands and then demanded cash and the PIN number for a bank card that Palmer owned. The 70-year-old Palmer went along with things for awhile, before finally wriggling free of his bonds and heading upstairs. With his captor in hot pursuit, Palmer retrieved a .38 Colt Army Special that he'd inherited from his father years before and fired a single shot in the intruder's direction. The invading gunman immediately turned and fled out through the garage. (St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, Fla., 1/20/2011).
From The Armed Citizen Archives
May 1981: A Lynchburg, Va., housebreaker suffered the ultimate indignity when he was caught trying to enter Buford Thornhill's home. The armed homeowner forced the sneak thief to call police and report the crime himself. (The News, Lynchburg, Va.)
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