Darren Weeks
Coalition to Govern America
January 21, 2019
A string of armed robberies of convenience stores in Richmond, Virginia, had placed store owners and clerks on edge. There had been a number of stores hit, a BP gas station, a 7-Eleven, and the Cary Street Mini Mart, owned by Elias Haddad. Mr. Haddad had already suffered the misfortune of at least two robberies in three and a half years. His father was stabbed in the neck by a robber in one of those incidents.
He decided enough was enough. “We got to put a stop to it,” Mr. Haddad told local TV station WTVR. “We have that right to carry guns so, I want them to use it.”
He got his two employees firearms training from James Reynolds of Proactive Shooters, LLC, who taught the employees how to fire a gun at close proximity while protecting their vital organs. Haddad also said he was taking his employees to the firing range, so they could practice and he could observe their progress.
It is this kind of planning that ultimately paid off for the store owner, himself. Last Tuesday night, January 15th, a trio of troublemakers aggressively entered the store as his wife worked the cash register. They were brandishing a knife and making demands. According to WTVR, the store security cameras caught the incident, which police are now using as evidence in the case. In the video, Mr. Haddad pretends to be complying, then pulls out a gun and opens fire.
In the video, which is now evidence, you can see the robber was surprised by Haddad who makes it look like he's complying, then pulls out a gun and fires, Crime Insider sources told Jon Burkett.
The would-be robber ducks and runs.
"With him threatening my wife and threatening me again when he saw me, I had to take action,” said Haddad. “When someone threatens you with a knife, you don't know what they are capable of doing."
Police pursued the suspects, and after a traffic stop and a foot chase, arrested two brothers and their female friend, who now face multiple felony charges. Investigators are now trying to see how many of the other burglaries in the area were perpetrated by the terrible threesome.
