Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
A Good Samaritan in the right place at the right time was able not only thwart an armed robbery at a Houston ATM over the weekend, but was able to help police take the suspect into custody, where authorities learned the man was wanted for murder in Louisiana.
According to Houston police, the armed citizen just happened to be driving by a Chase Bank location on the city’s southeast side just after 7 p.m. on Saturday when he spotted a stranger being pistol-whipped by a man at an ATM.
A man pulled into the bank to withdraw money from the ATM when the armed suspect came around the corner and ordered him to hand over money, according to police.
Detectives said the victim reportedly began to comply until the suspect began to pistol-whip him.
That’s when police say someone driving by saw the crime happening and pulled out a gun to defend the victim.
The man shot the suspect in the leg and foot after several shots were fired. The suspect was taken to the hospital in stable condition, according to Houston police.
Authorities haven’t said if the armed robber fired any shots at the Good Samaritan, but thankfully neither the robber’s intended victim nor the armed citizen were seriously injured in the attack. After the suspect was taken into custody at a local hospital police learned that the man was wanted on a murder charge in Louisiana, but so far authorities haven’t released any details about the suspect’s criminal history or his alleged crimes in the Bayou State.
This is at least the second time in recent days that an armed citizen has intervened in the city to stop a violent crime from taking place or escalating any further. On Friday Bearing Arms reported on another armed robbery that was thwarted after a group of men tried to hold up a Valero gas station and convenience store, only to be met with armed resistance from a customer.
Police responded to the store shortly before 9 p.m., where witnesses told them that a car with five individuals inside had pulled in to the station.
Four of the men got out of the vehicle and entered the store, with the fifth man remaining behind the wheel. Once inside, the four pulled out guns and demanded customers and employees hand over their cash. That’s when one customer drew their own gun and fired. Three of the would-be robbers were hit by the armed citizen’s shots, though police say a customer was also injured in the exchange of gunfire between the armed citizen and armed robbers.
It’s not known at this point who fired the shot that injured the bystander, but thankfully they’re expected to be okay.
The theoretical possibility of encountering a legally-armed citizen may not have been enough to stop these would-be robbers from carrying out their plans, but the reality of running into someone who was carrying in self-defense put an end to their violent schemes. Armed citizens save lives, and not always their own. Sometimes it may be a total stranger who’s the beneficiary of a gun owner’s foresight and decision to carry in self-defense, as was the case at a drive-thru ATM in Houston on Saturday evening.