Video Captures Gun Drama

[Lodge2004]

Interesting store video of a robbery in Albany, NY. Bad guy forgot to load his shotgun, clerk took it from him, he came back and took it from the clerk, police arrested Bad guy.

Story: http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story. ... e=8/8/2007

Video: http://timesunion.com/multimedia/video/robbery.asp

[Paladin]

Great Video!

Some thoughts:

1. Action beats reaction. For both sides in this case.

2.

As Alam reached for a stack of $20 bills, the man realized he had forgotten to load the weapon and stuffed a shell in the chamber. Alam laughed.

"He said, 'You think this is funny (expletive),' " Alam said. "I told him to calm down ... I was not afraid."

The BG's may be idiots, but laughing at them and standing strong is an easy way to incite them to hurting you. Best to pretent to be scared and then surprise the BG's.

3.

"I would have shot him but I didn't know if the camera was working and no one was in the store to be a witness," Alam said. "I've got a family. I don't want any trouble."

They fought over the gun for 10 seconds. Then it went off, blowing a hole through a rack of Skoal and piercing the wall under a window.

This is why understanding the law is critical. Alam could have made his wife a widow and left his 3 kids without a father because his misunderstanding of the law caused him to hesitate.

[portsider44]

I am shock the BG came back for the shotgun?? Good for the clerk who was alert enough to take advantage of the BG distraction. Of course I am suprised he did not use the weapon to better protect himself upon the BG return

[BShook]

Good for the clerk, but he could have handled it a lot better... I'm surprised he came out in the shape he did.

If you're holding the gun, you should be able to better control the situation... at least not let the guy chase you around like that. If the BG would have had a knife, it would have been over.

[hoss4570]

Thats what I say.

[Wildscar]

That ones funny but I still think this one is the best bumbling crook caught on tape.

Dumb Crook Tosses gun to Clerk.

[hoss4570]

I worked at a "fillin'" station back in the late seventies when I was in high school, worked nights and weekends. Anyway one night about 9:00 this black guy comes in wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt with his hands in the front pocket of his sweatshirt. He said he was walking to a town north of us and was hungry and could I float him a loan to buy some food, I said I only had a couple of bux but he was welcome to it. He pulled a .38 snubby out of his pocket and said the register had plenty in it. Now, I was 16 and a big kid at the time and played football, fairly macho, I thought, I also had a snubby .38 in my coat pocket that belonged to the boss. I forgot the gun in my pocket and just froze. I mean, I REALLY forgot I had the pistol, I was not really scared I just could'nt believe this was happening, like maby it was a joke or something. He was'nt joking and fired one shot into the beer case and said GIMMIE THE MONEY (Blankety blank)!!!!!! Just as I opened the cash drawer somebody drove up and dinged the bell and he ran. Turns out the customer was an off duty cop and the creep was caught within the hour. They brought him back in and asked if this was him, "Yes," I said. Then they pulled out his .38 snubby, "Was this the gun he used???" I would have swore he had pulled out a BIG gun, not this dinkie little thing. But it was and the guy was packed off and I never had to testify or anything. Don't know what happened. It was only after I went home and was talking to my dad that I remembered the gun in my pocket. Don't know if it was a good thing or not that I forgot the gun. I have wondered about it ever since.

[Diode]

Who was working the camera? It moves around to keep the action in the view?

[hoss4570]

Well, I don't know about the law back then but being 16 years old with a gun in your pocket probably wasn't the best thing to have! Glad you came out okay though

I don't know, but this guy had been going around robbing gas stations in our area and my boss gave me the gun and told me to use it IF I HAD to, meaning if he tried to take me around behind the station or something, he said don't go, and if he tries to force you, shoot it out with him because he is probabally going to kill you anyway. Glad I did'nt have to use it.

[jimlongley]

Believe it or not, I used to live just a few blocks from there, and used to go in there regular.

Not a great neighborhood.

[Venus Pax]

Well, I don't know about the law back then but being 16 years old with a gun in your pocket probably wasn't the best thing to have! Glad you came out okay though

I think that, in this time period, people were much more permissive with the younger ones carrying.

[zeroskillz]

That ones funny but I still think this one is the best bumbling crook caught on tape.

Dumb Crook Tosses gun to Clerk.

Now that's a classic

[CHL/LEO]

the man realized he had forgotten to load the weapon

When I read the story I wondered how the robber "realized he had forgotten to load the gun". I would think that in the heat of the battle (or in this case the robbery) it just doesn't pop into your head that you forgot something like this.

In watching the video several times it appears to me that he realized he forgot to load the gun after he pulled the trigger and it didn't go off. Watch the video and see if you see the same thing. It appears that he pulls the trigger while he's waving the gun around and then looks down at the gun to see why it didn't go off. Perhaps I'm wrong but in the story it states:

He told me to give him all the money," Alam said. "I told him to relax."

Alam stayed cool. The security tape shows him continuing to stock the shelf as he opened the register. As Alam reached for a stack of $20 bills, the man realized he had forgotten to load the weapon and stuffed a shell in the chamber.

Perhaps the clerks nonchalant attitude didn't set well with the robber and he planned on firing a round to either get his attention or kill him. Anyway, the clerk is lucky to be alive.