Clerk With Machete Chases After Gun-Wielding Robber [Video]

A brave deli clerk with a machete chased off a would-be robber — even though he was carrying a gun. Clearly this clerk has never heard the expression, “Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.” Maybe his huge “knife” seemed a bit more intimidating than the gunman’s.22 handgun. Either way it just wasn’t this masked criminal’s lucky night, no matter how you slice it.

The video included is security camera footage taken of the September 25 robbery attempt. The time stamp appears to be inaccurate. As USA Today reports, Suffolk County police released the video on Monday. Wearing what appears to be a gray ski mask, a man with a bag and a pistol can be seen entering a Long Island deli in Brentwood.

Showing the clerk he means business, the gunman shoots near the clerk’s head. Clearly not phased, the deli clerk then reaches under the counter to pull a large machete from its sheath.

Without hesitation the clerk comes out from behind the register to give the robber a piece of his mind (or perhaps, to take one). Even though the footage is a bit grainy, it’s clear this was not what the gunman had in mind.

As any sane person presented with a large sword pointed at them probably would, the attempted criminal turns to flee the deli. Maybe he didn’t have the nerve to shoot the clerk, maybe he was out of bullets. Or maybe in his shock the failed robber completely forgot about the.22 pistol in his hand.

A video from an outside camera shows the deli clerk chasing the gunman through the parking lot at full sprint. Maybe it was the failed robber’s lucky day — as the video shows he barely slips away.

The deli owner, Elena Alvarado, said her business has been robbed more than a dozen times, New York Post reports. She says she’s proud of the clerk, her nephew. But Alvarado says he’s lucky the risky move didn’t get him shot. Though the customer was masked, Alvarado believes the gunman was a regular customer who has visited the deli since the robbery attempt.

Police say the clerk with the machete was fortunate this time, but say it is usually safer to give an armed robber what he asks for rather than risk being shot.

[Image via ShutterStock]