from
https://www.foxnews.com/us/robber-pistol-whipped-store-clerk-stopped-tracks-armed-good-samaritan-cops

Suspected robber who allegedly pistol-whipped store clerk stopped in his
tracks by armed good Samaritan: cops
Armed good Samaritan holds robbery suspect at gunpoint until police arrive
By Emma Colton Fox News
Published September 21, 2023 4:30am EDT

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underreported, and more Americans are becoming first-time gun owners

A suspected robber accused of pistol-whipping a Family Dollar clerk
while trying to steal a stack of cash was thwarted by an armed witness,
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, police records show.

Nicolas Richard Lee Deas, 20, of Fort Lauderdale, and another man
reportedly approached a Family Dollar employee Sept. 13 around 10 p.m.
as staff closed for the day, Local 10 News reported.

Deas reportedly claimed to the employee he left his cellphone in the
store and needed to run in quickly to grab it. The employee let Deas and
the other man inside, but the situation quickly devolved into chaos.

"Give me the money, or I will kill you," Deas told the employee,
according to a Fort Lauderdale Police arrest report.

FLORIDA BURGLAR THWARTED BY ELDERLY HOMEOWNER WHO HELD HIM AT GUNPOINT: COPS

Mug shot for Richard Lee Deas
Robbery suspect Nicolas Richard Lee Deas, 20, of Fort Lauderdale, was
arrested last week for allegedly trying to rob a Family Dollar.
(Broward County Sheriff's Office)

The employee walked the pair to the store’s safe, where the suspects
stuffed $1,200 in cash into a bag. Deas pistol-whipped the employee in
the neck and elbow, according to the police report.

ARMED KENTUCKY HOMEOWNER THWARTS CHAINSAW-WIELDING SUSPECT IN EARLY
MORNING HOME INVASION: COPS

family dollar
A Family Dollar location (REUTERS )

Unbeknownst to Deas and his accomplice, a neighboring store owner in the
shopping complex heard the disturbance and jumped into action.

HOME INVADERS SHOT, SENT RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES WHEN ARMED RESIDENT
OPENS FIRE

pistol firing
A man fires a pistol during a Defensive Pistol Class. (Frederic J.
Brown/AFP via Getty Images))

Police said the man walked into the store, saw Deas with a gun in his
hand and demanded he drop the weapon and get on the floor. Deas complied
with the orders, while the other suspect fled.

An aerial view of the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., coastline Jan. 6, 2010.
(Hoberman Collection/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The armed good Samaritan held Deas at gunpoint until police arrived.

Deas was taken into custody without bond on charges of armed robbery,
aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony, aggravated battery
with a deadly weapon, grand theft of a firearm and illegally carrying a
concealed firearm. The gun Deas used during the alleged attempted
robbery was stolen, according to police.

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The accomplice has not been named, and it’s unclear if he’s been arrested.

comments include

vetsop1
4 hours ago

the second amendment is alive and well in our country. this is exactly
why I've been saying abiding citizens that conceal carry can stop some
of these things from happening. there's two ways that this can go down.
you stop them because they are unaware that you are carrying a firearm
and give them ...See more

dogbreath761
3 hours ago

I don't understand how this criminal got a weapon. The democrats
assured me that the last control law they passed would stop this.

Tucker.S.M.Carlson
1 minute ago

Your response brings up a valid question and important aspect. What
many of the Fox News Faithful seem to be unaware of is that virtually
all illegal guns started as legal guns. Criminals then steal them from
cars, houses, people, stores, etc. after which they're bought and sold
by more criminals. To Fox's credit, about a year ago they posted an
article describing this aspect (although they did bury deep behind
stories about The View, Bill Maher and Elizabeth Hurley). There is also
the not-to-unusual situation where a gun crime is committed by someone
who, up until that moment, was not a criminal and the gun was obtained
legally by that person. So while I know you are adding hyperbole to
your comment about gun control stopping "this", the real issue is the
source of guns - just like that's the issue with drugs, right? And the
source is the vast abundance in this country of legal guns and the
relative ease and availability for them to fall into the hands of
criminals and become illegal guns.