Store Clerk Snatches Gun From Would-Be Armed Robber

CHICAGO, IL — A clerk and employee at a South Side store fought off a would-be armed robber and held him for police Wednesday after the gunman's weapon jammed, according to the Chicago Tribune. The clerk sustained bruises and cuts from his heroic efforts, and he was in fair condition to Advocate Trinity Hospital, the report added.

The incident happened at around 3:50 p.m. Wednesday, July 5, at a store in the 8400 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in the Chatham neighborhood, the report stated. According to Jerome Brown, the clerk's friend, the 20-year-old suspect walked in to the store, intent on killing the employees and then robbing the business, the report added. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for the South Side and Chicago — or other neighborhoods. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Fortunately, the gunman's weapon malfunctioned.

"He pointed the gun and pulled the trigger and it jammed," Brown told reporters, according to the Tribune. "The clerk snatched the gun from him."

The clerk, 37, and another employee tussled with the suspect, finally getting the upper hand, the report stated. The two then held the man until the authorities arrived, the report added. Charges are pending against the accused gunman.

More via the Chicago Tribune

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