Houston, Texas



From the Houston Chronicle of Septmeber 4, 2004

Robbery followed by 'incredible' gunbattle



Suspects escape after four-block car chase while shots were fired back and forth



When Amir Borhani heard his dad screaming during a robbery outside their family-owned food market in southwest Houston Friday, he ran out of the store and was met by the barrel of a semiautomatic weapon and a man with a handkerchief tied around his face.



"I looked straight into the barrel and then straight into his eyes and yelled, 'No, don't shoot,' " said Borhani, 25.



What followed was an "incredible" four-block gunbattle between Borhani, a family friend and a carload of robbers who communicated with each other by walkie-talkie. The robbers got away, but not before one of them was shot in the leg, Houston police said.



The incident began about 3 p.m. at Tony's Market/Check Cashing store on the corner of Dashwood and Rampart. Borhani's father was struggling with a robber over a backpack when his son joined the confrontation. During the chaos, the older man managed to free himself, and Borhani grabbed his father's gun and exchanged fire with the three robbers as they fled for their car.



A family friend then grabbed another gun that was kept inside the store.



The friend and Borhani jumped inside their car and followed the robbers. Borhani said shots were fired back and forth for a few blocks.



During the chase, the suspect's car spun out of control and crashed into a utility box. The occupants got out of the vehicle and started to run.



Sgt. R.W. Mascheck of the Houston Police Department said the family friend managed to shoot one of them in the leg before they got away. By then, Borhani had emptied his father's gun.



Mascheck said he doubted charges would be filed against Borhani or his friend. Mascheck said investigators were checking to make sure the store owner had permits for both of the guns.



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