Jacksonville, Florida

From News4Jax.com of October 24, 2007

Store Owner Chases Gunman From Business

Fish Market Owner Refuses To Become Victim

A store owner refused to become a victim Tuesday night. When a masked gunman rushed into his Westside fish market, the store owner fought back and scared off the crook.

The attempted robbery took place just before 6 p.m. at Jacobson's Fish Market on Beaver Street, where a bustling shopping plaza once stood and now only one store remains.

The fish market owner, Sameer Kandah, said doing business at the location has been rough.

Kandah said he was getting to ready to close up his fish market on Tuesday night when a man wearing a Halloween-type mask stormed inside with a gun.

"I was with a customer and next thing I know he's holding a gun to my face and handing me a bag telling me to put money in the bag," Kandah said.

However, the store owner refused to comply. He said instead he told the robber to do it himself.

"I was trying to get him to come close enough so I could disarm him, but when I tried he ran away," Kandah said.

After that, the owner said he chased the masked gunman out of his store with a shotgun in tow but by the time he got in the parking lot the crook was nowhere to be found.

Kandah said since the grocery store next door to his market was abandoned the shopping plaza has been plagued with crime.

"Our life is in danger everyday because of this. The day before the robbery we had someone waiting for us in the bushes because it's too dark outside when we close," Kandah said.

Contributing to the problem he said are broken lights in the parking lot that invite crooks to his store.

"You never know what you're walking in and out of -- it's very dangerous," Kandah said. "I'm not trying to take justice into our hands. I'm trying to survive that's all."