SayUncle found an armed robbery news story that is rather interesting, and had a nice outcome:
A masked man robbed the Washman Carwash on NE 81st Avenue [in Portland, Oregon] Saturday morning, but his gun fell apart in the middle of the heist. The suspect approached an employee at about 10:45 a.m., pulled a gun out from underneath his sweatshirt and demanded money. He then dropped his gun and it fell apart, police said. The suspect began waving his fist at the employee and demanded money and the employee opened up the cash register. But as the suspect reached for money the employee grabbed a power washer and sprayed him in the face, causing the suspect to flee on foot.
Although I’m sure that this armed robbery was still traumatic for the car wash employee, I’m glad to see that he was able to defend himself and teach the robber a lesson or two. I also can’t help but think that things could have turned out a lot worse had the criminal’s gun not fallen to pieces. Perhaps the clerks as Washman Carwash should follow the lead of this petstore clerk, and be armed for self defense.