Former Marine and current firefighter Daniel Gaskey is being hailed as a brave hero after he intervened in a robbery at a convenience store in Midlothian, Texas. The incident occurred one Monday evening when a robber was seen walking into the Exxon Oasis Food Store holding a hunting knife. Apparently, the would-be robber believed this would give him an advantage over the guests inside the store…well, he thought wrong.
Gaskey was waiting at the counter when the man put his hand on his shoulder and attempted to push him aside. It was then that Gaskey knew something wasn’t right and sprung into action.
He had taken only one step away before he noticed the man brandishing a fixed blade knife and telling the cashier “This will go quick and easy, I’m just here for the money.” This spurred Gaskey into action as he quickly jumped onto the robber’s back before rolling him to the ground.
In doing this, he managed to take control of the weapon from Bearden while also calmingly talking him down until police arrived on scene.
When asked about what went through his mind during this encounter, Gaskey said that his instincts kicked in immediately after realizing what was going on.
He knew that if he could get close enough to Bearden then any swing of his arm wouldn’t hit anyone else in its path so he took advantage of this opportunity by jumping onto Bearden’s back and taking control of his weapon within seconds.
The fire chief commended Gaskey for not only intervening but also for worrying about being late for work amidst all that chaos – something which speaks volumes about his values as a person. Chief Bondurant said: “He was all worried about it, and then we found out he had intervened in an armed robbery while he was getting some coffee.”
As someone who served as an intelligence Marine from 2003–2011 before becoming a firefighter; it is no wonder why people have been praising Daniel’s bravery throughout this ordeal – such heroic acts should never go unnoticed.
