Armed at Gunpoint...

[mcnooj82]

My family (my mother, younger brother, and I) run a small convenience store in the Capitol Hill district of Seattle. Our hours are from 8 am to 2 pm (the state mandated cut-off time for alcohol sales).

We recently put one of our desktop computers from home at the store. This is why I've been able to keep up a little on the boards for the past several weeks.

The following events happened today (Monday, October 15th) around 2:30 to 3:00 pm.

I opened the store at 8 am this morning. It was like any other boring day. I served customers, I browsed the CHUD boards, prepared the order forms for the week, and restocked inventory. The usual bums and weirdos came in and out of the store along with the normal middle-class folk.

As I read about the messed up girls that some people on the boards have had relationships with, I notice someone at the corner of my eye. I look outside the store window and see what I presume to be a bum walking around in a ski-jacket, a hat, sunglasses, and a surgeon's mask.

Weird. But not all that weird, I thought. The day continued.

My mom and brother came to the store around 2 pm. It's when they arrive that I can take a restroom break comfortably before heading out to Costco and/or Cash & Carry for more inventory. I also usually stop by the bank to deposit the previous day's earnings. I decided to make a quick trip to the bank first as I wanted to say hi to the Bank of America employees that I'd gotten friendly with over the past year.

At the bank, I realize that I didn't bring all the deposits for today. So I go back. I couldn't have been gone for much more than 5 minutes...


I come back to the store to find a group of people outside all in a controlled commotion. I approach the store entrance and am greeted by the sight of my younger brother. His face and sweatshirt are dripping with blood. I look inside the store. There is a path of blood leading towards the back of the store. One of the people outside are on the phone describing what was going on. My mother is going to piece inside.

I have no idea what's going on.


Eventually I learn that in the 5 minutes I was gone, the man with the surgeon's mask entered the store and went directly behind the cashier's counter and held my brother up at gunpoint. He tells him to open the cash register but must've realized that my brother was not alone. He doesn't even give my brother a chance to obey. He forces him out from behind the counter and has his arms around his neck with the gun in his other hand.

My mother, stocking the frozen foods in the back of the store, comes to see what the commotion is about. My brother struggles the whole way through and even tries to grab the gun from the robber's hands when our mother is in danger! That's when he uses the butt of the gun to knock my brother's head.

They are shoved back to the corner where my mom was stocking the cooler. My mother holds my brother for dear life. The man starts back towards the register, presumably to take the money. But unbeknownst to him, a customer had just entered. Seeing the customer, the guy made a break for it and left.

I came back as the patrons of the fitness center next door were helping to treat my brother, console my mother, and call the authorities. I had no idea how to react. I wasn't in shock. I wasn't emotional. I felt like time had completely jumped forward without me know it.

What I explained above is what I could gather from everything I had heard the witnesses explain as well as the footage from our security cameras. As I scanned through the footage with the police officers after my mom and brother were carted off in an ambulance, I finally started to feel something. I saw my brother struggle. I saw him try to grab the gun. My heart pounded.

Was it wise for him to struggle? Most definately not. But when I saw him go for that gun, I couldn't help but swell with pride for my brother. But I felt nothing but shame for myself. Shame that I wasn't there for them. It makes no sense to feel this way, I know. The guy probably even waited until I left to make his move. But none of this changes how negligent I feel.

Just now, I even learned that it was my mother who was able to give chase to the guy as he left the store and shouted for anyone to take note of him and call the police. As she tells it, she shouted up a storm. She followed him far enough to see the Lexus the guy drove off in. And she got his plate numbers. The plate numbers that led to the police tracking the guy and taking him into custody. Even in that state of shock and anxiety, she was able to do this. Cut the swell in pride for my family.

It was only when it was all over that she broke down. That was the state I saw her in. She tells me, had she been next to the wine section when the incident occurred, she would've had at him. She chalks it up to those maternal instincts kicking in.

So yes, the guy was apprehended, the police informed me. And the gun was real. My brother thought it was a fake. I have no idea if it was loaded. I had plenty of support from my friends, though it wasn't I who needed it. But it was nice to have two buddies hang around while I ran the store all day. It's these moments when you remember that you shouldn't take family and friends for granted.

It's 1:37 AM now. I put this here so that I could record my thoughts and feelings on today's events (that I had no part of) and show off my badass family. Perhaps this kind of incident isn't surprising at all given that you read of worse things happening all the time. But this is the first time anything like this has ever happened to my family, so I felt like sharing.

Thanks for reading this far.

[Bryan J]

It seems like crime in Seattle is just getting worse and worse. So the blood came from your brother being pistol-whipped?

I'm glad your mom and brother are okay.

Random nitpick, I am guessing that you meant that your hours go until 2am?

[Jared Melton]

Random nitpick, I am guessing that you meant that your hours go until 2am?
Yeah, I was ready to comment with, "...and I thought Texas had ridiculous liqour laws."

Kudos to you and yours, mcnooj.

[mcnooj82]

It seems like crime in Seattle is just getting worse and worse. So the blood came from your brother being pistol-whipped?

I'm glad your mom and brother are okay.

Random nitpick, I am guessing that you meant that your hours go until 2am?


Thanks for the kind words. The blood was from my brother and our hours go until 2 am. Every damn day.

[Nexus-7]

Go figure the guy robbing a convenience store is driving a Lexus. I hope he gets robbed, of his anal virginity. People like that piss me right the fuck off.

Anyways, glad to hear no one was seriously hurt, or worse.

[mcnooj82]

Go figure the guy robbing a convenience store is driving a Lexus. I hope he gets robbed, of his anal virginity. People like that piss me right the fuck off.

Anyways, glad to hear no one was seriously hurt, or worse.


Oddly enough, the guy turned out to be Korean. I don't think he had any connection to us, but it could explain the Lexus. Koreans have a habit of buying cars beyond their lifestyle.

EDIT: SOME Koreans have the habit. I tend to harshly generalize my kind.

[LisaNY]

Jesus Christ. Is your brother doing okay this morning? Glad to hear that this didn't turn out worse. Hopefully the cops find guy that did this fast. He sounds like he's a complete amateur, so that should make him easier to catch.

[mcnooj82]

Jesus Christ. Is your brother doing okay this morning? Glad to hear that this didn't turn out worse. Hopefully the cops find guy that did this fast. He sounds like he's a complete amateur, so that should make him easier to catch.


He's in bed now, relaxing to the soothing sounds of The Wizard (starring Fred Savage). He's doing alright. The doctors told him that he should be woken up every once in a while and be asked 3 simple questions. Thanks for asking. It could have been much worse. We were very lucky. The guy didn't even get any cash.

And he did get caught. Very quickly, I might add. The license plate my mom wrote down was a big help along with the security footage.

EDIT: Why the hell did I name this thread ARMED AT GUNPOINT? In addition to all the other spelling errors and misused words, I just noticed this now. My brain must be fried. ROBBED at Gunpoint, ya moron...

[Virtanen]

Or the car might be stolen. Is your mom a marine or something? Good that she didn't catch the fucker, I've heard you can get fined for ripping someone's head off.

[Graynadian]

Cue the Law and Order music. It sounds like everyone was a champ.

[Timothy225]

Glad you and your family are OK, mcnooj; also glad the police caught the motherfucker. And don't feel ashamed - there was no way in hell you could've known any of this was going to happen - you did nothing wrong.

[BillyG]

If your mom is anything like mine, or 99% of moms out in the world, the robber should be glad she didn't get her hands on him. I'm sure the tiniest mom in that situation could pull and Ermey and rip off his head then shit down his throat.

Glad everyone came through it (somewhat) ok. Don't feel bad for not being there. Just call the cops next time you see something suspicious. I mean even if he wasn't going to rob you he had on a surgeons mask. You really want Jacko and Bubbles in your store?

Also *insert Big Lebowski The Jesus quote*

[horrid]

That's scary as all shit. Glad everyone's staying above ground.

[cognizant]

I'm glad you and your family are safe, mcnooj82. Your family are very brave and you should be proud. Stay safe, buddy.

[Alex Riviello]

Glad you and your family are OK, mcnooj; also glad the police caught the motherfucker. And don't feel ashamed - there was no way in hell you could've known any of this was going to happen - you did nothing wrong.

Seriously, Nooj- listen to this. I know exactly what you're going through, as I've had some very close people to me mugged at gunpoint. You're going to go over all the possible scenarios in your head, all the ways it could've been different if you were there, but just be glad that everything worked out relatively well. Your family came through to protect each other, and that's always commendable.

[Doug]

I don't understand the thread title. It sounds like a Steven Seagal movie.

[Kevin Matchstick]

Yeah, it's like they held you up and then handed you a bunch of weapons instead of taking your wallet.

Glad to hear everyone's OK. Trying to get the gun was dangerous, but people get shot for following directions too.

[Brad Millette]

I don't understand the thread title. It sounds like a Steven Seagal movie.

It's the sequel to Killed By Death.

[le Stephanois]

Buy a gun.
http://www1.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI53001/

[EdHocken]

Cue the Law and Order music. It sounds like everyone was a champ.

I would've gone with The Shield intro myself with Shane and Vic coming on scene.

[Van Jones]

Buy a gun.

How would that have helped this situation?

[horrid]

How would that have helped this situation?

Well now his brother and mother have the cool "I faced death in the face story" If he'd taken a gun with him on his trip to the bank he'd be able to put his eel-bit leg on the table too. Also, when going through an episode of stress and guilt, it's sometimes helpful to not have to worry about the size of your penis.

[Chris Miller]

Mcnooj, I'm glad they caught the guy and everyone's relatively ok. Brother's concussion doing ok?

[mcnooj82]

Mcnooj, I'm glad they caught the guy and everyone's relatively ok. Brother's concussion doing ok?


Thanks! No concussion for my brother. No stitches were required either. He just can't use shampoo for a bit. He's having a hard time going to sleep though. Other than that, he seems to be fine.

[mcnooj82]

In other more 'touching' news... I told my brother how proud I was of him. This is quite a breakthrough as we're not a particularly chatty duo. Neither of us are prone to strong emotions, but when I told him what I felt in the car as I picked him up from school, I couldn't hold back the tears and broke down a little. It's probably the most vulnurable we've been to each other.

2 days later though... business as usual. Ha ha.

[Bryan J]

I hope your brother milks this to impress the ladies. He deserves some hero groupies.

[Chris Miller]

Sorry to assume he had a concussion, I interpreted that from the doctor's instructions to wake him up every couple of hours. Very glad that he's doing fine, however.
I worked midnight shifts at a Wawa when I was 19. The thing that made me sketchy was that, prior to me working there, a Wawa had never been held up. About a month after though, one did, and the two people working the store got locked up in the cooler, thankfully they were chilly and shaken, but otherwise ok. Has your family considered asking the police to put a substation (basically a little cop desk) in your store? They have these in the 7-11's around here, and it keeps the robberies down quite a bit.

[mcnooj82]

Sorry to assume he had a concussion, I interpreted that from the doctor's instructions to wake him up every couple of hours. Very glad that he's doing fine, however.
I worked midnight shifts at a Wawa when I was 19. The thing that made me sketchy was that, prior to me working there, a Wawa had never been held up. About a month after though, one did, and the two people working the store got locked up in the cooler, thankfully they were chilly and shaken, but otherwise ok. Has your family considered asking the police to put a substation (basically a little cop desk) in your store? They have these in the 7-11's around here, and it keeps the robberies down quite a bit.


Why apologize for your concern? Ha ha. It's not necessary at all.

As for the substation... I'd hever heard of those. Interesting. Obviously a cop isn't actually there all the time, I assume? Our store is really small, so I doubt we could do something like that, but I think I'll look into it for my own curiosity.

[Chris Miller]

Why apologize for your concern? Ha ha. It's not necessary at all.

As for the substation... I'd hever heard of those. Interesting. Obviously a cop isn't actually there all the time, I assume? Our store is really small, so I doubt we could do something like that, but I think I'll look into it for my own curiosity.
Yeah, they're not there all the time, maybe twice a shift per cop (so, 6 times a day) for 10 or fifteen minutes at a pop. Looks like they do a little paperwork there, or make some phone calls, but the fact they do it at fairly random times and the big sticker on the window announcing their eventual presence seems to do a good job. The stores that don't do it seem to have a "Stop by at least once a shift and get some free coffee" policy with cops as well.

[LisaNY]

In other more 'touching' news... I told my brother how proud I was of him. This is quite a breakthrough as we're not a particularly chatty duo. Neither of us are prone to strong emotions, but when I told him what I felt in the car as I picked him up from school, I couldn't hold back the tears and broke down a little. It's probably the most vulnurable we've been to each other.
Nothing to add here but "Awww!" Glad he's doing well. Is he sleeping any better?

[donde]

Glad to hear the fam's alright.

[whiskaz]

Wow, crazy. Glad everyone's OK.

A buddy of mine was robbed at gunpoint quite sometime ago. Apparently, after it happened and the shock of the situation wore off, he went from being scared out of his mind to wanting to beat the shit out of the guy. Natural reaction I suppose.

Again. glad everyone's alright.

Bob, hilarious!

[Mad Man Mundt]

What store is it that you run? I hate when that shit happens in our neighborhood. Glad all is well.

[mcnooj82]

What store is it that you run? I hate when that shit happens in our neighborhood. Glad all is well.


J's Quick Stop on Bellevue Ave.

[Syd]

Hey, take solace in the fact that apparently you look so bad ass that he didn't dare enter the store while you were there.

[Chris Wood]

Good to hear that everyone's relatively unscathed, and that the asshole's behind bars.

[mcnooj82]

Hey, take solace in the fact that apparently you look so bad ass that he didn't dare enter the store while you were there.


In no way am I a bad-ass. I'm a slightly overweight Korean guy of average height and a big round head. Any bad-assness I exude is a total front so that the bums don't take advantage of us. I'm a teddy bear, goddamnit!

A recent update. The police called the store today to inform us that the guy has been released on bail. Someone was able to put down the 10% of $100,000 bail. Obviously, the guy's to be on a tight leash and won't be allowed anywhere near this store. He'll be in and out of court all the time.

As for my brother... he's still having trouble sleeping. I hope it's a short term problem or not at all.

[swedish miyagi]

I guess people wearing sunglasses and surgeons masks or any kind of face coverings are very suspicious, even for whacked out bums. My question is, what if you knew someone who entered your store was going to try to rob you. What would your gameplan be? Is there a bulletproof glass telephone booth thing that drops down from the ceiling or anything in those cases?

[mcnooj82]

I guess people wearing sunglasses and surgeons masks or any kind of face coverings are very suspicious, even for whacked out bums. My question is, what if you knew someone who entered your store was going to try to rob you. What would your gameplan be? Is there a bulletproof glass telephone booth thing that drops down from the ceiling or anything in those cases?


We don't have anything quite like that. As for the game plan, it would just be to comply with what they demand. If it got out of hand despite our compliance, I guess it would be up to our instincts. I have no idea what I would do. I have no idea what I would've done had I been there. I just wish I would've been there for them.

All the people working out at the fitness center thought the guy was weird too. He was just hanging around that area for 30 minutes looking suspicious. But it's easy to say that "I should've called the police about it," in retrospect. At the time, he was just a weird guy who was afraid of getting SARS or something. He wasn't much weirder looking than the freaks that frequent our store.

[witchesbrew]

the link you provided hAS nothing TO DO WITH THIS THREAD, AND IF SO, ELABORATE.001
this one,
http://www1.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI53001/

[Greg David]

What store is it that you run? I hate when that shit happens in our neighborhood. Glad all is well.
J's Quick Stop on Bellevue Ave.
I live on First Hill, so it sounds like I'm very near you as well. I work at a preschool downtown, and we're finding drug paraphernalia on the playground every morning. What the hell is going on around here lately?

I'm glad to hear things worked out reasonably well, though. I'm particularly impressed with your mother chasing the guy down and writing down his license plate number. I wonder if I'd be that clearheaded.

For the most part, this neighborhood doesn't scare me much, but stories like this don't exactly make me more comfortable taking the dog out to pee at three in the morning.

[mcnooj82]

I live on First Hill, so it sounds like I'm very near you as well. I work at a preschool downtown, and we're finding drug paraphernalia on the playground every morning. What the hell is going on around here lately?

Wow... that's creepy. I just find crushed cans of beer, chip bags, and plastic bags all over the street and our planters in the morning. A bunch of pigs these people are. I've been giving the bums a hard time about making sure to bring back their plastic bags to use them again. I'm tired of picking them up off the street and giving them another one every 30 minutes they come in for a 24 oz can of 10.5% piss.

I'm glad to hear things worked out reasonably well, though. I'm particularly impressed with your mother chasing the guy down and writing down his license plate number. I wonder if I'd be that clearheaded.

That's the question I keep asking myself. Would I have gone through temporary autism at that moment or would I have lept to action? My mom was a warrior.

For the most part, this neighborhood doesn't scare me much, but stories like this don't exactly make me more comfortable taking the dog out to pee at three in the morning.

Our store is in Seattle, but we live in Bellevue. I'm in this store all day, so the neighborhood doesn't scare me much either. But we are but 2 blocks away from I-5. Right on the fringes of Capitol Hill. So it's not so bad since I hear it just gets worse as you get deeper into the area.

What is actually kind of creepy is that the guy who held up the store actually lives in Bellevue with his girlfriend. I'm pretty sure we don't know this guy but there are just one too many coincidences. The guy used to run a convenience store down in Kent (which is where we had lived until about 2 years ago) until things went bad for him. Which is how I assume he's gotten to the state he's in now.

[BillyG]

[QUOTE=mcnooj82]As for the game plan, it would just be to comply with what they demand. [QUOTE]

Set up a double barrel shot-gun under the register like Wyatt and wait for Ike Clanton to come in.

[Timothy225]

mcnooj82, you mentioned in your first post that the fitness center is next door to you. If there are any additional stores or services next to your family's store, consider talking to the folks who run the other establishments and set up a sort-of mini Neighborhood Watch, just for your shopping center. If any of 'em deal with a suspicious customer or see someone lurking about, automatically call the cops. That or, as a unit of concerned shopkeepers, see if you can get a substation put into the shopping center like Chris Miller suggested.

Billy's suggestion of the shotgun ain't so bad either.

[mcnooj82]

Thanks for the advice. Our store and the fitness center are part of an apartment building. So it's not really a shopping center, but we do have a regular customer base that could be seen as a community. We'll all be a little more wary for the time being.

The first gun I ever fired as a kid was a .45. It was also the only gun I ever fired. Nothing political about my stance, but guns (like smoking) are something I feel should stay in the realm of movies. It's the only place it looks cool. A very naive notion, but the recoil on that .45!!! Jesus...

[Timothy225]

I started target shooting with my dad this summer - out of the different calibers and types of guns I've shot, I usually go with a 9mm. It has enough stopping power, but not as much of a kick.

If you're considering arming yourselves, take a class on gun safety first (you automatically learn that whatever's being done in the movies is BS). Get to know the ins and outs of the weapon, register with the police, etc.

[BillyG]

The shotgun crack was really just a joke, but I can see the appeal for a weapon in that environment.

I'm from my Texas, and I love my guns. That said, I would not recommend buying a gun for your shop. First, you admit you're not a fan. I myself love my .45 and it's kick, but will recognize it's not for everyone. If the kick of that .45 didn't feel comfortable to you, imagine the feeling of letting a 9mm hit some crack head that wants a few bills from your register. Can't imagine it's a good feeling.

Secondly, if your state laws are like Texas, you cannot keep a firearm in a store that sells booze. So if you should said crack head, and where within your realm of legality in say your home, you would now be liable for manslaughter and open to financial restitution to Crackie's lil brother Harry the H Head. Don't leave yourself open to support their habit and ruining your living.

If you ever do decide to buy a weapon for personal safety, or even for the fun of going to the range, and this is for anyone, please people, PLEASE take some safety courses like Tim said. I don't want to see on the news

"Korean Corner Store Owner and Chewer mcnooj82 died today from a self inflicted gunshot wound. The weapon misfired during cleaning and because he did not take a safety course he did not know to REMOVE THE DAMN ROUND IN THE CHAMBER!"

Not saying you're dumb enough to do that, but it does happen.

[Timothy225]

The shotgun crack was really just a joke, but I can see the appeal for a weapon in that environment.

I'm from my Texas, and I love my guns. That said, I would not recommend buying a gun for your shop. First, you admit you're not a fan. I myself love my .45 and it's kick, but will recognize it's not for everyone. If the kick of that .45 didn't feel comfortable to you, imagine the feeling of letting a 9mm hit some crack head that wants a few bills from your register. Can't imagine it's a good feeling.

Secondly, if your state laws are like Texas, you cannot keep a firearm in a store that sells booze. So if you should said crack head, and where within your realm of legality in say your home, you would now be liable for manslaughter and open to financial restitution to Crackie's lil brother Harry the H Head. Don't leave yourself open to support their habit and ruining your living.

If you ever do decide to buy a weapon for personal safety, or even for the fun of going to the range, and this is for anyone, please people, PLEASE take some safety courses like Tim said. I don't want to see on the news

"Korean Corner Store Owner and Chewer mcnooj82 died today from a self inflicted gunshot wound. The weapon misfired during cleaning and because he did not take a safety course he did not know to REMOVE THE DAMN ROUND IN THE CHAMBER!"

Not saying you're dumb enough to do that, but it does happen.

Man's got a point.

[Bryan J]

Man's got a point.

A hollow point, amirite guys?

[Chavez]

A hollow point, amirite guys?
ba-dum-dum-TISS

[Mad Man Mundt]

J's Quick Stop on Bellevue Ave.

That's north of Pine and south of Olive, right? I know the store. I am a long time Hill resident. I live further up near the Group Health center. I don't know that street crime is getting worse in that there doesn't seem to have been a sudden spike. I think it has remained pretty par for the course, that is to say how it has always been, and is not so different from any large city and that isn't a good thing. I know of a few assaults that have occured recently, a stabbing at Cal Anderson Park, and a friend of mine was mugged near the Redwood at Summit St. where all the half-way houses are. That area between Melrose and Broadway and Pine to Olive where the streets wind around and there is little foot traffic can get sketchy if you are at unawares.

When my friends and I hit the bars we always travel in a group and keep alert. I have not been the victim of street crime (fingers crossed). I am incredibly streetwise and always alert to who is around me. It probably also helps that I am 6 foot 270 lbs and look like a Hells Angel. Again, glad no one was seriously hurt. Greg David, are you near Harborview? Because that area can be dodgy.

[Bryan J]

I don't know about Capitol Hill, but there has been a definite spike in crime in the U-district in just the last 4 or 5 years.

[Greg David]

Greg David, are you near Harborview? Because that area can be dodgy.
I'm practically on top of Harborview, right next to the Yesler projects. Just moved here five months ago. The irony is that I paid a lot of money to buy a condo in this neighborhood. I don't have to be here. I just love being right in the middle of the city, and being able to walk to both downtown and Capitol Hill.
I don't know about Capitol Hill, but there has been a definite spike in crime in the U-district in just the last 4 or 5 years.
I lived right by the U district before I came here. I used to love it. It's a fucking pit now. I hear they're trying to fix it up now. I hope they succeed, because some of the best food in the city is in that neighborhood.