Gas Station Customer Wins Shootout With Alleged Armed Robber

A robbery can happen pretty much anywhere. In fact, most attacks happen when good folks are simply out conducting regular life activities. This is the whole point of concealed carry; having a gun for the rare times it might be needed to defend your life. It’s what worked for a gas station customer in Virginia.

Police report that on June 2 Marquis Antonio Waller of Martinsville, along with a juvenile, approached a man in a car parked beside the pumps around 9:30 p.m. Gun in hand, Waller allegedly tried to rob the man. However, the customer had the means and the willingness to fight back. So, he drew his gun, which started a gunfight at the gas station. All three men started shooting. The victim hit Waller in the thigh. The minor fled, but turned himself into police a few days later, according to WSET. The victim wasn’t injured in the exchange.

Emergency personnel took Waller to the hospital, where he remains in good condition. Police plan to charge him once released. Waller faces multiple charges, including armed robbery, shooting into an occupied vehicle, shooting into an occupied building, use of a firearm in committing a felony, reckless handling of a firearm and discharging a firearm in public. Police arrested the minor on similar charges; he currently awaits trial at a juvenile detention facility.

Preparation Helped Gas Station Customer

As typical, exactly how the events unfolded have not been released. What is known is that two men tried to rob a third. However, the victim had the forethought carry a gun, and he knew how to use it, at least to some degree.

Preparation is actually an important factor in self defense. No one plans to fail, but most folks fail to plan. Planning goes way beyond carrying a gun and training at the range. In fact, situation awareness is crucial to planning and preparation of potential self-defense situations. If you notice a person acting suspiciously, you have a chance to make a plan. The best plan is typically avoidance or escape, but you should also have a fight plan, in case avoidance and escape become impossible.

Sitting in a car doesn’t offer good means of escape if the car is not running. At that point, fighting is the best option, which is exactly what this customer did. And since he wasn’t injured, he probably had an idea that something was wrong. He probably does, though, need to work on accuracy.