Robber Points .45 at Store Clerk’s Head, Then 3 Gun-Toting Customers Come to Rescue

A would-be robber had the tables turned on him during his attempted robbery of a convenience store in Ellijay, Georgia, this week, according to police.

This from westernjournal.com.

The Ellijay Police Department reported:

Shawn Sutton, 39, of nearby Blue Ridge, Georgia, was arrested on robbery charges after the incident, which took place around 6:30 p.m. Monday.

The good, the bad, and the ugly:

Sutton’s alleged attempted robbery would involve the intervention of three responsibly-armed citizens, a .45 caliber handgun pointed at a poor store clerk’s head, and, perhaps most improbably, a pair of women’s underwear being used as a disguise.

Yes, seriously. Read on.

 

 

According to police:

Sutton entered the store posing as a customer looking to buy an energy drink.

At the time, there were two other customers in the store and one outside at the fuel pumps.

After grabbing the drink, Sutton allegedly pulled a pair of women’s panties from around his neck to cover his face.

Ah, yes. Ingenious. The perfect disguise. And not a moment too soon.

It’s also worth noting that unless there was no surveillance present, and no one was looking at him before he donned the ‘mask,’ video or witnesses likely already caught this guy’s face.

Being thus disguised, the report said:

Sutton went behind the counter, pointed a .45 caliber pistol at the store clerk’s head and demanded all the money.

The other shoppers noticed what was going on and quickly got involved.

According to the police report:

A customer, legally carrying a concealed pistol, produced his firearm and intervened in the robbery. [T]he second customer went to his vehicle, obtained his pistol, and returned to assist the first customer in subduing the suspect.

At that point, realizing he was dangerously outgunned, Sutton chose to exit the facility.

Police reported that as Sutton was leaving the building:

The third customer, who was also armed, came into the store to help, at which time the first customer warned the other two off, saying that Sutton had already been disarmed.

At this point, the police arrived.

Officers reported:

Sutton, still trying to flee, had to be subdued with a Taser.

Police arrested Sutton and his wife Melody, 39, who had been waiting in the couple’s vehicle, according to the report.

The police did not say whether the wife was a knowledgeable accomplice.

According to WSB-TV:

Shawn Sutton has been charged with armed robbery, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  Melody Sutton will face charges of armed robbery, intimidation, and ingesting a controlled substance.

NOTE: Following the convictions of these two master thieves, this incident may very well go into the handbook Why You Don’t Commit Dangerous Crimes in Small Towns in Constitutional Carry States. 

Final thoughts: Thank goodness for Constitutional Carry—another crime foiled, possibly lives saved.

And as for the knucklehead who had to go out to his vehicle to retrieve his handgun, ‘Constitutional Carry’ enables you to carry the weapon, not merely rathole it in your vehicle. You may never again experience a life-threatening situation, but keep your gun on your person, fool.