New and dramatic surveillance footage shows a Starbucks customer fighting off an armed robber in a Fresno, California Starbucks.
Cregg Jerri, 58, had been enjoying his order at a table at 5:3o pm when a masked man entered the coffee shop and went to the register, his face concealed by a Transformers Optimus Prime mask. The masked man demanded money from the clerk, threatening her with a knife and toy gun.
Suddenly, Jerri can be seen lifting a chair and hitting the man behind his back. A struggle between the two ensued, knocking over merchandise and moving to the seating area as Jerri wrestled the knife away from the man despite being stabbed in the neck. The suspect eventually fled from the Starbucks, but police apprehended and arrested the suspect soon after.
Police identified the masked man as 30 year-old Ryan Michael Flores. Both men were brought to a local hospital, where Flores is in critical but stable condition. He will be sent to jail and face felony charges when he recovers. Jerri received six staples to patch his neck wound but is also expected to make a full recovery.
“It’s not something we recommend. In this case it was a good outcome– no one died as a result of this incident, but very well could have. But nonetheless, he’s a hero–there’s no question,” Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said in a press conference. “There’s probably not very many people in America who would do what Cregg Jerri did last night. It was incredibly heroic and the way most people would think that they would respond but may not have the courage to respond.”
[Image and Video via CNN]