Poetic justice: Cop walks into 7-Eleven while armed robber stands in front of register with bag full of stolen cash



A security camera captured a moment of poetic justice when a uniformed police officer walked into a southern California 7-Eleven last week while a hooded armed robber stood in front of the store's register with a bag full of stolen cash.

Let's just say the crook didn't get away with what he was after.

What are the details?

Video recorded the suspect — 48-year-old Ramon Gonzalez — approaching the counter of the store in West Covina on Wednesday and asking the clerk to grab him a pack of cigarettes, KTLA-TV reported.

As the clerk began placing the cigarettes into a bag, the station said the suspect lifted his sweatshirt, revealed a gun, and demanded everything in the register.

The clerk complied and began placing cash into the bag, KTLA said.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

The crook might have gotten away with an easy heist, but as it was all going down, the security camera caught West Covina Sgt. Abel Hernandez — a frequent customer of the 7-Eleven — walking into the store to purchase some water and greet the clerk, the station said.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

“So I saw the subject in there, and at first, I really didn’t think anything” Hernandez recounted to KTLA. “I saw the gloves, I saw the ski mask, and that night it was a little chilly, so I figured, 'Okay.'"

Image source: YouTube screenshot

But in those moments Hernandez also noticed the distressed look on the clerk's face, the station said.

“He’s always with a smile, but as I entered the store, I saw the fear in his face, and I knew something was up,” Hernandez added to KTLA. “I remember just keeping my eye on the subject.”

The robber soon lifted the bag of cash off the counter — about $400 — spotted Hernandez walking in, and made a run for the door, the station said.

The clerk shouted, “He’s got a gun! He robbed me!” as Hernandez turned and chased after the suspect, KTLA said.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

“To me it seemed slow even though I look at the video, and it seemed like I took off pretty quick,” the 17-year veteran cop added to the station. “Everything sort of slows down. I was able to catch him 15 to 20 feet right outside the doors of the store.”

KTLA said Hernandez tackled the suspect, who put up a brief fight before giving up. Soon backup officers arrived at the scene, the station said, and they recovered the cash — as well as a loaded handgun.

Hernandez told KTLA that it was "fortunate" no one was hurt: “Thank God that the outcome was what it was.”

The suspect faces several charges including robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm, the station said.

Maybe pick another convenience store chain?

Interestingly, the same thing happened at a 7-Eleven four days prior in Carson, which is about 50 minutes southwest of West Covina.

Yep, a sheriff's deputy walked in on four armed suspects trying to rob the convenience store, and the outcome was the same — all four were arrested.

KTLA said there has been a rash of robberies at 7-Eleven stores across Los Angeles and Long Beach, but authorities haven't said if the robberies are related.

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Security video shows deputy walk in on four thugs committing armed robbery at 7-Eleven in California



Dramatic security video captured the moment a deputy walked in on four armed thugs trying to rob a convenience store in California.

KTLA-TV obtained the video from a 7-Eleven on the intersection of Victoria Street and Avalon Boulevard in the city of Carson from 1:30 a.m. on Saturday.

The video shows three alleged armed robbers walk into the store from one door and a fourth walk in from a side door. They hopped over the counter with guns in hand.

The clerk said that they put a gun to his head and also threatened him with a knife before a deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department happened to walk into the store.

The video shows the deputy quickly pull out his service weapon and call for backup.

One of the two clerks told KTLA that he dropped to the floor and recalled that he feared being shot by the robbers.

“I’m done. Maybe they’re going to shoot me. Everything happened so fast and they were screaming," said Sergio Flores.

Instead, he was relieved to see the deputy step inside the store.

“When I saw him come in, I realized somebody’s come to save us,” Flores added.

The video showed other deputies arrive to aid in the arrest of the four suspects. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Police believe the incident might be related to a string of robberies involving 7-Eleven stores in the Los Angeles and Long Beach area. The robbers made off with money, candy, and lottery tickets in those incidents, according to police.

One customer at the 7-Eleven expressed her anger at the robberies.

“It’s not OK for people to think it’s OK to walk into a business and steal and take money,” Lizeth Cortez told KNBC-TV. “People work hard for their money every day. For someone to come in and steal it, it’s not OK.”

Here's the video of the incident:

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Shotgun-toting crook exits convenience store after clerk emerges from back room 'holding his own gun toward the befuddled attempted robber': sheriff's office



A crook armed with a shotgun was caught on surveillance video entering a convenience store in Pensacola, Florida, earlier this month — and soon made his exit after the store clerk emerged from a back room with his own gun and told the crook he was no longer welcome.

What are the details?

Video shows the man holding a shotgun on the right side of his body after entering the store in the 4000 block of North Pace Boulevard on Sept. 9, the Escambia County sheriff’s office said.

Authorities said the armed man didn't notice anyone behind the counter. The reason? The store clerk saw the man arm himself outside, after which the clerk went to a back room and grabbed his gun, the sheriff's office said.

When the crook saw the clerk return, "he freezes … oh boy," the sheriff's office explained, noting that the clerk "returned to the counter holding his own gun toward the befuddled attempted robber."

The clerk isn't visible on the surveillance video, but he's heard telling the shotgun-wielding visitor to "put it back."

The crook replies, “I don’t mean no harm. I’m just not from around here."

"What you got in your hand, bro?" the clerk asks.

"I got a big-ass, motherf***ing gun, but I'm not from around here is what I'm sayin'," the crook answers. "I'm from Chicago, bro." He then implies he's carrying the shotgun for protection.

The clerk is unmoved, telling the armed man again to "put it back."

The sheriff's office quipped that "words seem to fail you when your felony attempt is thwarted by lawful and righteous force. Thankfully, he decides that it is not the time for a robbery, and he slowly exits the store."

The rest of the story

The sheriff's office said 32-year-old Rakim Stephen Tate was arrested Sept. 15 in Santa Rosa County and charged with openly carrying a prohibited weapon and attempted robbery with a firearm. Authorities added that the Benelli shotgun used in the robbery attempt was recovered.

Rakim Stephen TateImage source: Escambia County County Jail

"You’re not in Chicago anymore," the sheriff's office taunted at the conclusion of its post. "You’re under arrest."

Tate — who's actually a Pensacola resident — was taken to the Escambia County Jail. His bond for the attempted robbery with a firearm charge, a felony, was set at $100,000, jail records show. Tate's bond for the carrying a prohibited weapon charge was set at $1,000, jail records show, and his court date is scheduled for Oct. 7.

Man brings shotgun into gas station, clerk pulls gun on him: Escambia Co. Sheriff's Officeyoutu.be