Armed thug steals cash from Kentucky Fried Chicken. But when he demands employee's phone, brave worker refuses to back down.



Markell Hitchings — a 21-year-old cook for a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Florissant, Missouri — had an unsettling notion going through his mind when the restaurant was just getting underway for business Monday morning.

Hitchings told KSDK-TV his concerns were sparked after he noticed a male dressed in black.

'I was never afraid at all.'

"I thought he was a regular customer just going to the bathroom and leaving," Hitchings explained to the station.

But he recalled something else to KSDK: "I had it back in my mind that he was going to try to do something."

Turns out Hitchings' unsettling concerns were spot on.

"He came back there behind our counter, and it all started from there. At the time, he was asking my manager for money. She dropped to the floor. I told her to give him the money because I didn't want her to get hurt," Hitchings recalled to KSDK.

Employees told the station that after the robber got the cash, he ran out the front door and around to the back of the business.

Except Hitchings also was out back, KSDK said.

"He asked me for my cell phone, and I didn't give him my phone — and we got to tussling around in back by the drive-thru," Hitchings recalled to the station.

Hitchings told KSDK that he and the robber fought for several minutes as the suspect's gun flew out of his hand.

"I was screaming for help because I was losing adrenaline," Hitchings noted to the station.

Nevertheless, the courageous cook still had plenty of strength left.

"Once I had him in a chokehold, I'm on his back," Hitchings recalled to KSDK. "He grabbed rocks and tried to smash them over my head, but it didn't work."

RELATED: Blaze News original: 10 times retail workers ended violent threats with absolute finality

Soon employees at a neighboring business called 911, the station said, adding that Hitchings held down the suspect — Tamon Sleet — until police arrived and arrested him.

Police added that officers recovered a stolen firearm that was used during the robbery, as well as currency taken from the business.

Police told KSDK that Sleet tried to strangle a ride-share driver in north St. Louis County several days before the KFC robbery — and Hitchings added to the station he's grateful that he, his manager, and the ride-share driver all survived.

"It all just happened so fast. I know it was dangerous. I wouldn't advise anyone to do that. I was never afraid at all. Honestly, I thank God that it all played out the way it did," Hitchings noted to KSDK.

The station said Sleet faces multiple charges in both cases, including assault, armed criminal action, and vehicle hijacking.

KSDK said he remained jailed Thursday night on a $250,000 cash-only bond.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Masked, hooded crook demanding cash pistol-whips restaurant employee. But knocked-down worker turns the tables, pulls his own gun, and shoots suspect dead.



A Georgia restaurant worker turned the tables on an armed crook who pistol-whipped him last Monday night when the employee pulled his own gun and fatally shot the suspect.

What are the details?

Police in Warner Robins — which is about a half-hour south of Macon — said a man wearing a mask and a hood and armed with a gun entered the American Philly N Wings on Watson Boulevard around 9:45 p.m., WMAZ-TV reported.

Image source: YouTub screenshot

The gunman — identified as 23-year-old Joshua Hickey — jumped the counter demanding money and pistol-whipped a male employee amid a struggle for the gun, police told the station.

"The restaurant worker was struck [and] hit the ground," police Sgt. Justin Clark noted to WMAZ. "As he was coming back up, he drew his own legally-owned firearm and fired three shots at Mr. Hickey. Mr. Hickey was struck twice and fled on foot."

Officers found Hickey on Vernon Drive and took him to a hospital where he died, the station said.

Police concluded that the restaurant employee was acting in self-defense, WMAZ said. There were conflicting reports about the condition of the employee. WMAZ said the employee was not hurt, but WGXA-TV reported that the "victim of the robbery had minor injuries."

The restaurant staff declined to comment to WMAZ.

Anything else?

The National Crime Victimization Survey says two specific types of crime increase in December: robbery and personal larceny, WMAZ said, noting that those crimes actually spike by 20% in December.

"Theft in general does tend to increase around the holidays. As far as our robbery numbers, though, from last year versus this year, we're right on par to have about the same, which is 70, currently," Clark added to the station.

Therefore, whether you work at a business or you're just shopping or eating out, Clark warned viewers to be vigilant as the year winds down, WMAZ said: "Be aware of your surroundings, be aware of people coming in and out, pay attention to your doors, and things like that."

Police say restaurant worker shot, killed armed robber in self-defenseyoutu.be

'Shoot me!' Gutsy woman stands up to armed punk who demands her keys — telling him 'No!' and actually daring him to pull the trigger



A Washington, D.C., woman was caught on surveillance video standing up to an armed would-be robber who demanded her keys last Tuesday, flatly telling him "No!" and daring him to pull the trigger.

"Shoot me!" she commanded the masked gunman.

He eventually left the scene without firing a shot, and Iris Bond Gill told WTTG-TV all about her harrowing ordeal.

What are the details?

Bond Gill parked her vehicle just after 3:20 p.m. Aug. 23 and was standing on 10th Street NE looking through her purse when the hooded suspect approached her.

Clearly startled, Bond Gill screamed at the sight of the armed male, throwing her dark bag and dropping her red purse on the street before putting her hands up.

Image source: WTTG -TV video screenshot

But an instant later, Bond Gill got downright confrontational, hollering "What the f***!" and walking toward the gunman.

She told WTTG the would-be crook called her an expletive, ordered her to turn over her keys, and insisted, "I’ll shoot you."

But Bond Gill is heard on the clip defiantly telling the crook, "No!" and adding a challenge while staring him down in the street: "Shoot me!"

Image source: WTTG -TV video screenshot

Soon the suspect backs up and begins to move away as Bond Gill claps her hands and appears to holler at the gunman. He then moves toward Bond Gill again, points at her, and even raises his gun at her, apparently pretending to shoot as she flinches.

But Bond Gill won the standoff, and the crook took off for good.

Image source: WTTG -TV video screenshot

'I went into almost a chastising mode'

"I’ve seen the video, and to be honest, I saw a young man in front of me [like] a lot of young people I’ve worked with over the years," Bond Gill explained to the station, noting she's worked in the education field for many years. "And in some way, I think I went into almost a chastising mode with him as well."

Image source: WTTG -TV video screenshot

She added to WTTG that she's not encouraging others to react the way she did, only emphasizing that it was her gut reaction, and she believes in trusting your gut.

"You know, it’s really complicated to think about now. I don’t exactly remember, but I know – I knew I was in danger," Bond Gill added to the station. "And so I just threw off my bag and just prepared to be confrontational."

Anything else?

When WTTG asked Bond Gill what she hopes people will take away from her scary encounter, she replied, "We need stronger communities. You see the suspect back away when a car comes, but no one stopped to help or was really able to intervene."

"I think there’s power in community in many ways, and I think one, you know, we can advocate for more lights and more cameras and certainly community policing is a part of that and boots on the ground. But it was actually a camera in someone’s house. And it was a car that drove by, that was not driven by anyone official — but just an individual that sort of scared him off," she explained to the station. "Gone are the days of having older neighbors that sat on the porch all day and watched and waved to you when you got home from work. I think in some ways, trying to think about how to preserve this intergenerational neighborhood is so valuable. We’ve lost so much of that in the city with massive displacement. So, I think just having more people around that know each other and that support each other would be really helpful."

Bond Gill also told WTTG she hopes others remember the importance of situational awareness, adding that she was distracted while rummaging through her purse when the suspect approached.

D.C. police told the station no arrests have been made yet.

(H/T: The Police Tribune)