Milford, CT

1/23/18 Hartford [Conn.] Courant:

A customer with a gun permit chased out two alleged armed robbers on Friday at the Milford Smash Burger, police said. The two suspects were later found by police and arrested.

Royshon Ferguson, 21, and Gregory McLaurin, 22, both of New Haven, are facing numerous charges, including first-degree robbery, first-degree threatening and first-degree kidnapping with a firearm.

Ferguson and McLaurin allegedly entered the restaurant armed with a .22 caliber handgun and ordered all the workers and customers into the restaurant’s kitchen at gunpoint, police said. McLaurin told the manager to open the safe and he started taking the money out while Ferguson went back toward the front of the restaurant to empty the registers, police said.

That’s when a customer, a permitted pistol owner, “saw an opportunity to change the situation,” police said.

The customer, who was not identified, drew his firearm, pointing it at McLaurin, police said. McLaurin panicked, and ran out of the kitchen as the customer chased him. McLaurin ran out of the building leaving Ferguson behind, police said.

The customer then went after Ferguson, who still had the gun in his hand and was taking money out of the registers. Ferguson also panicked when he saw the customer’s gun. The customer then held Ferguson down and knocked the gun out of Ferguson’s hand, police said.