Alaska man gets pistol from his car to stop robbery attempt

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — A Fairbanks man stopped an attempted robbery at a gas station by pointing his gun at the suspect and holding him until law enforcement arrived.

Nick Moore said he was standing in line Friday at a Holiday store with his breakfast and energy drink when a teen walked in with a knife.

“I kind of backed up a little bit to see what he was going to do, but I kind of already had an inkling in my mind of what was going to happen,” Moore told Fairbanks television station KTVF.

His suspicion turned out to be correct; the teen told employees he was robbing the store.

“I put my stuff on the counter, snuck out the door, ran to my car, grabbed my pistol and came back up to the door,” Moore said. “ He just turned to look at me. I racked my slide on my pistol and pointed it at him and he put his hands up.”

Moore had the teen put down the knife and lay face-down on the floor until Alaska State Troopers arrived. Officers arrested the unidentified teen, who faces attempted robbery and assault charges.

Store employees were so thankful for Moore’s action they bought him breakfast.

Moore said he wasn’t planning to use his pistol but was glad he had it. He said firearms are “a shield against thieves, a deterrent against most crimes if people know that your establishment could be armed or people in that establishment could be armed.”

Alaska State Troopers advised people should not get involved in such incidents, Instead, they should call 911 if possible and be a good witness.

The Associated Press