Harrowing footage of a shotgun-wielding California man defending his liquor store from an armed robber over the weekend is going viral.
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Eighty-year-old Craig Cope, who owns Norco Market & Liquor in Riverside County, got the jump on a masked perp Sunday morning thanks, in part, to his security cameras.
“It’s not his first rodeo. He saw on the surveillance, he saw them coming out of the vehicle with weapons,” employee Marnie Tapia told CBS Los Angeles.
Cope, who retrieved his shotgun in the intervening moments, fired upon the suspect right when he entered the store and began the stickup.
One can hear the wounded perp yell out, “He shot my arm off! He shot my arm off,” as he frantically exits the store.
The suspect then jumped into a vehicle with three other men and left the scene in a stolen BMW X3, according to police.
Later that day, investigators located the four suspects at a local hospital, one of who was being treated for a gunshot wound.
While the name of the 23-year-old injured suspect has not been released, authorities released the names of the three accomplices: Justin Johnson, 22, of Inglewood, Jamar Williams, 27, of Los Angeles, and Davon Broadus, 24, of Las Vegas.
All of them are facing charges for robbery and conspiracy. Bail has been set at $500,000.
The sheriff’s department credited Cope for stopping a violent crime.
“In this case, a lawfully armed member of our community prevented a violent crime and ensured their own safety while being confronted with multiple armed suspects,” the department said in a statement.
As for Cope, he didn’t come away unharmed. Following the encounter, he suffered a heart attack. But local media says he is expected to make a full recovery.
“I’m proud to call him my boss,” Marnie told CBSLA. “He makes us feel better about being here, you know.”
Marnie, who also spoke to ABC7, said that with crime on the rise they had to be prepared for such a scenario.
“The sheriff warned us that this had been going on in the area recently and to just be on your toes, you know, so he was on his toes. Thank God,” she explained.
“He just prepared himself. He’s always prepared as far as weapons go,” Marnie added.
It doesn’t appear that Cope will face any charges as his use of force was, indeed, justified. Around the store, however, Cope has earned the nickname, “Quickdraw Mcgraw.”
