While Taco Bell’s slogan may be Live Mas (Live More), a would-be robber almost got the chance to live a lot less when he strolled into an Akron, Ohio, location and found at least one employee to be anything less than an easy pushover to rob.
According to a 19 News (Cleveland) report, witnesses told police an armed man strolled into the Taco Bell in an attempt to rob the restaurant and fired shots at an employee. To his undoubted shock, the employee produced his own gun and fired back, striking the bandit.
He quickly fled the scene and turned up shortly thereafter at a hospital with “a gunshot wound to his upper body.” Police told the news channel the man’s injuries were non-life-threatening and the employee was not physically injured in the altercation. Another man, who dropped the wounded criminal off at the hospital, was arrested and charged with robbery. As soon as he is out of the hospital, the 35-year-old robber faces robbery and other charges as a result of the incident.
We’ve all read cases like this where companies frown upon and have even fired employees for defending themselves or attempting to stop crimes from occurring in their place’s of business.
One notable case occurred last April at a Georgia Lululemon store where two employees attempted to stop three thieves who brazenly marched into the store and began grabbing merchandise. The two employees, who told the thieves “no” and ordered them to leave and then followed them to their car to get a license plate, were fired. A move company CEO Calvin McDonald stood by in an article with CNN even as the company came under heavy public criticism for the move. The whole incident was caught on camera.
Company management would’ve probably crapped itself had one of the young female employees trying to protect Lululemon’s interest for the likely minimum wage pay they were making whipped a Glock from her body-hugging Lulu’s. But then, Lululemon isn’t Alexo Athletica, which makes fitness wear designed to accommodate concealed carry, such as their women’s Matte 7/8 Carrywear Legging.
In a twist of irony in the Lululemon situation, the men were ultimately arrested, likely due to the efforts of the fired employees.
There is no word if Taco Bell will come down on its employee for defending his life and those of the other people in the restaurant at the time of the robbery. We’ll have to keep an eye out for that one. Either way, at least the good guys one on this one and the right people all walked away with the correct number of holes in them.
