Largo, Florida

From the St. Petersburg Times of November 18, 2005

Gun grab foils store robbery

Two would-be robbers leave empty-handed after a pawnshop manager's quick reaction.

There was no time to think about being brave. Bryan Leeth just had to react.

One moment, two customers had been browsing at Belleair Jewelry & Pawn, settling on a particular gold necklace. The next, one of the men drew a silver handgun and raised it toward Leeth, general manager of the store at 400 W Bay Drive.

"My first thought was to try to get control of the gun and to get out alive," said Leeth, 38, of Clearwater, recounting Wednesday's noon holdup.

Leeth reached for the gun, pushing it down, and shoved the man away, he said. Then he fled to the back room, grabbed a 12-gauge shotgun and waited, his adrenaline pumping.

Outside, another customer pulled up. Leeth heard the front door open and then the men were gone, empty-handed.

"It was a situation if you get out alive, you just have to pray and give thanks," Leeth said.

The would-be robbers, however, remained on the loose Thursday.

Largo police described the armed suspect as a black man in his 20s, 5 fee 10 and 180 pounds. He was light-skinned with tattoos on both forearms, and wore a black shirt and long blue jeans shorts. He was seen driving a late 1980s two-toned blue four-door, possibly a Cutlass or Buick, with a temporary tag.

The second suspect was a black man in his 20s, 6 feet and 170 pounds. He was dark-skinned with a thin beard, and wore a black bandanna, long blue jeans shorts, a white T-shirt and black oversized shirt.
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At the pawnshop Thursday, business returned to normal with Leeth back at his place behind the counter. He said he didn't feel brave or heroic. He is just grateful. He's in one piece. And he works at a place with good security cameras and other measures to discourage the bad guys. "Pawnshops," he said, "really aren't a very good place to rob."