An armed convenience store customer in Florida went into full beast mode when he found himself in the middle of a violent armed robbery, and he emerged as a hero. A hero waiting to see if he faces charges.
The unidentified customer was in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven in Dania Beach Saturday evening, just before 7 p.m., when he was suddenly robbed. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office later identified the suspect as 19-year-old Justin Kessel.
He should have stopped then, but he didn’t.
The initial victim retrieved a firearm and was ready for a second encounter with the suspect
Investigators believe that after robbing the customer outside, the suspect then entered the business and proceeded to rob the clerk before attempting his getaway. That’s when things get dicey.
The original victim had retrieved a firearm and was ready when the suspect emerged with whatever he managed to steal.
Shots rang out, and the 19-year-old went down, but that was hardly the end of the violent encounter. The driver of the getaway vehicle, identified as 40-year-old Melvin Presley, saw his accomplice in trouble and sprang into action.
Citizen responded to the alleged attempt to run him over with lethal fire
He allegedly tried to run over the Good Samaritan with the Honda CR-V he was driving. That did not end well for him.
The armed customer was able to dodge the Honda as it sped toward him, and then he opened fire. Presley was fatally wounded, and then all the citizen had to do was hold the injured teen at gunpoint until the police arrived.
Responding officers recovered the Honda a few blocks away. That was as far as the driver was able to make it before he crashed and was taken to the hospital. Presley died there later.
The Broward State Attorney’s Office is investigating and will determine if charges will be filed against the citizen who acted to thwart the robbery after becoming a victim. There were a lot of moving parts, but he appears justified in his defensive actions.
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