A man walked into a liquor store and pulled out a gun, ordering the cashier to hand over all of the money. He soon found out that the man behind the counter is a military veteran who wasn’t about to let some punk order him around.
A surveillance video captured the moment a hopeful thief waltzed into a shop and up to the counter while smoking a cigarette. Unamused with the visitor’s disrespectful behavior, clerk Jon Lewis Alexander, a 54-year-old military veteran, told him that smoking wasn’t allowed in the store, he told the New York Daily News.
“He just took another puff and looked me dead in the eyes, like he was Billy Badass,” Alexander told the Daily News.
When the would-be robber entered the Beer 30 liquor store in Marionville, Missouri, he believed he’d be walking out the door with wads of cash. However, the encounter that ensued was like something conjured up in a Clint Eastwood film, and it was just as satisfying.
Unaware of Alexander’s background, the thug took one last drag on his cigarette and pulled a pistol from his pants. He then ordered Alexander to empty the cash register and hand over the money.
“You need to give me all your f–king money,” the crook demanded.
At this moment, the thief made his final mistake. Within an instant, Alexander went into combat mode. Completely unfazed, the veteran raised his hand and blocked the man’s arm in which he held the gun, distracting the would-be robber. With his other hand, Alexander slipped his own 9-mm pistol out of its waistband holster and pressed the barrel against the man’s mouth.
“You need to get the f–k out of here before I blow your f–king head off,” Alexander remembers saying.
As the man realizes the seriousness of the situation, he relents, slowly backing away toward the door. Alexander aims the gun at the thug until he has exited and is out of sight. He explained that he decided not to kill the man since he had lowered his weapon and retreated.
“I couldn’t see shooting the man, if he couldn’t shoot me,” Alexander said.
Alexander says he’s worked quite a few “high-risk” jobs, including a position as a corrections officer, a job as a private investigator, and serving four tours in Iraq. He credits his history of facing dangerous situations as the reason why he remained calm and collected during the armed robbery.
“I’ve been around weapons and been around danger a lot,” he said. “It didn’t really bug me that much.”
The store is owned by Jeannine and Max Dawson, who say that crime had escalated in the area. She admits that she knew about Alexander’s background but was still astonished by the way he handled the situation.
“I was like, ‘Holy s–t,'” Dawson said. “That’s awesome.”
Alexander hopes that his encounter with the armed robber will encourage others to stop being victims. Anyone can learn to properly use a firearm for self-defense.
“Everybody’s not such an easy target,” he said. “People still are afraid, and they need to realize, hey, it’s okay to fight back.”
Jon Lewis Alexander may have more experience than the average citizen when it comes to dangerous encounters, but his advice is solid. People can remain victims or they can arm themselves.
Even the strongest, toughest man is helpless when staring down the barrel of a gun. Likewise, a firearm properly placed in the hands of the weakest individual is the great equalizer.
