Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
MOORE, Okla. (KFOR) - The chaotic scene following a theft at a Moore Best Buy was brought to an end by a bystander with a concealed carry permit.
Police said it started with the three suspects who were in town from Houston to go to casinos.
Around 11 a.m., three men went into the store and swiped thousands of dollars of Apple electronics from a display.
"Removed some of the security monitors that were on those items and ran out of the store," said Sgt. Jeremy Lewis.
News 4 spoke the bystander on the phone, but he declined to go on camera.
He said he saw the three men running for the door with the sirens blaring as he was walking up to the entrance from the parking lot.
He said one of the men, identified as Robert Washington Jr., hit the glass doors which slowed him down enough for employees to tackle him.
The other two suspects ran to their car.
The bystander said the two men ran back, and it seemed like they were going to confront the employees who had their friend, but ultimately didn't.
Instead, they allegedly went back to the car, drove around the parking lot and straight for the employees and Washington.
The bystander said he believed they missed, then reversed, and it looked like they were going to charge again.
That's when he said he decided to draw his weapon and point it towards the driver.
He said the driver stopped, put his hands up, then drove away from the scene.
Sgt. Lewis said police don't encourage civilians to draw their weapons because it could result in worsening an already dangerous situation.
However, in this case, he said the bystander was well within the law.
"If an individual feels like they're doing a service by protecting themselves or someone else that may be injured, then it's hard to say they did the wrong thing," Sgt. Lewis said. "In this situation, it turned out for the best."
Officers know who the other two suspects are. They are currently working on filing charges against them and trying to make contact with them in Houston, where they're believed to be.