Port Arthur, Texas

From the Beaumont Examiner of October 26, 2006

Clerk defends store in robbery

A store clerk turned the tables on a man trying to rob the store at which she was working at 1701 Memorial Blvd. in Port Arthur Thursday Oct. 26.

Port Arthur Police responded to a call that an unwanted individual was at 1629 Memorial Blvd. When police arrived and questioned the man, they discovered the 55-year-old had a warrant for a parole violation. He was placed in custody at that time.

Shortly after apprehending the suspect, police learned he had attempted to rob the M&D Food Mart on Memorial. The suspect had pretended to have a weapon in his pocket. He was wearing a plastic bag over his head and said, “Gimme all the money.” At that point, the clerk at the store grabbed the pistol behind the counter. The suspect ran away.

Major Raymond Clark of the Port Arthur Police said the clerk’s behavior was not the norm in robberies. “That’s unusual. Businesses often have policies against firearms. We don’t recommend people take that kind of action, but we do want people to be able to protect themselves. This is only the first or second time something like that has happened this year.” Clark said the clerk endangered herself when she pulled the weapon. The general suggestion from Clark was, “Comply as much as possible.”