ICYMI – Heavily armed Southern California robbers weren’t counting on a fearless octogenarian with a shotgun. As one of the suspects bolted back out the door, he can be heard screaming on security footage, “he shot my arm off, he shot my arm off!”
Less armed than when he entered
As security footage shows, the face-off only lasted seconds. As soon as the assault rifle armed robber came through the door, ready for action, 80-year-old shopkeeper Craig Cope thought fast, grabbed his shotgun and took cover behind a display case.
One shot was all he fired and that was all it took. Not only did the assailant turn tail and run, his backup team were too scared to come in.
The armed robbery incident was reported August 3 in the town of Norco, roughly 50 miles east of LA in Riverside County.
“I would always protect my employees, my customers, myself. This instance, fortunately, I was here by myself, so I only had to worry about that. I took care of it and that was that,” Mr. Cope related to local reporters.
As the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirms, “four hooded suspects, with their faces covered, pulled up to the business in a BMW SUV and entered the store with rifles pointed.”
The local thugs were heavily armed with impressive looking assault weapons.
Outside the store
There was a second camera on the outside of the store which caught one of the armed gangsters deciding to change his mind when he heard his associate scream. He couldn’t get back in the BMW fast enough.
Police are disappointed that they aren’t able to charge the vigilant shopkeeper with anything.
“In this case, a lawfully armed member of our community prevented a violent crime and ensured their own safety, while being confronted with multiple armed suspects,” the sheriff’s department explains. It didn’t take them long to verify that the 23-year-old one-armed gunman had been checked in to a local hospital.
Medical staff confirm their patient is “suffering from a gunshot wound consistent with a shotgun blast,” in critical but stable condition on Monday. Cops cuffed his other arm to his bed and they’ll process him for booking after he’s all patched up.
Police also rounded up the rest of the armed robbery crew. They were “found at the hospital inside the BMW, which had been reported stolen.” According to law enforcement, “they also found stolen firearms inside the SUV.”
They won’t be going anywhere for a while. Despite liberal bail laws, these three are being held on $500,000 bail, each charged with suspicion of robbery and conspiracy.
