Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

Valiant US Sikh Store-Owner, 59, Fights Off Armed Robber With Only Slipper

Darpan News Desk, 18 Dec, 2015 11:51 AM
    A slipper can be mightier than a gun in the hands of a valiant Sikh store-owner!
     
    In a feat caught on surveillance cameras, the 59-year-old Amrik Singh fought off a shotgun-wielding masked robber using only his slipper in the store at his petrol station in Staatsburg, about 150 km from New York City.
     
    "I'm not really a hero," Amrik told IANS Friday about Tuesday's slipper-shotgun face-off. "And I would not want to be a hero. I am just a working man."
     
    Singh, who immigrated to the US from Doburji in Punjab's Moga district 35 years ago and has owned the Citgo petrol station and store for 19 years, said he did not have a strategy or a conscious plan to confront the gunman. 
     
    But "God told my body to grab the man as he reached for the tray in the cash register", he said.
     
    "When the gunman jumped back, I threw the slipper and hit him on the nose," Singh said. "I ran and caught him and we were like wrestling."
     
     
    Laughing, the turban-wearing Singh said: "He did not expect an old man to fight him. He ran outside and I chased him. He fired a shot at my feet, but it missed and hit the ground and he drove away."
     
    Asked by IANS about Singh's feat, his wife, Baljinder said: "It is shocking and crazy. He had a guardian angel protecting him."
     
    When the would-be robber entered the store with the gun, Singh said he was momentarily taken aback. "After that my mind was clear and I was not nervous at all."
     
    He said he first tried to reason with the man and offered to give him money. "But he demanded $100 dollar bills. I told him I did not have any. He tried remove the coin tray and search under it."
     
    That's when the confrontation caught on the surveillance video that made prime time TV newscasts across the United States Thursday night started.
     
     
    Singh does not plan to take chances if there is another robbery attempt. "I am a US citizen and I am going to apply for a gun licence."
     
    Police don't recommend such acts of bravado. State Trooper Melissa McMorris was quoted by the Daily Freeman as saying "Thank God, the store owner wasn't hurt in the confrontation." 

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Stigma A Barrier To Medical Cannabis Research, Advocates Say At Roundtable

    Stigma A Barrier To Medical Cannabis Research, Advocates Say At Roundtable
    VANCOUVER — When Jonathan Zaid turned 18, his mom gave him an unusual birthday present — one that would turn out to be life-changing.

    Stigma A Barrier To Medical Cannabis Research, Advocates Say At Roundtable

    Alberta Premier Says Farm Bill Is About Dignity, Basic Rights; Stands Firm

    Alberta Premier Says Farm Bill Is About Dignity, Basic Rights; Stands Firm
    EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Rachel Notley moved Thursday to quell a maelstrom of discontent over her farm safety bill by saying it's foremost about safety and dignity.

    Alberta Premier Says Farm Bill Is About Dignity, Basic Rights; Stands Firm

    Edmonton Retiree Winner Of $30Million Lotto Max Jackpot; Will Help His Children, Travel

    Edmonton Retiree Winner Of $30Million Lotto Max Jackpot; Will Help His Children, Travel
    EDMONTON — An Edmonton man did not tell his wife for several days that he held the winning Lotto Max ticket for $30 million.

    Edmonton Retiree Winner Of $30Million Lotto Max Jackpot; Will Help His Children, Travel

    Banks Defy Sluggish Economy, But Analysts Question Whether It Can Last

    Banks Defy Sluggish Economy, But Analysts Question Whether It Can Last
    Combined, the six largest lenders — Royal Bank, TD Bank, Scotiabank, the Bank of Montreal, CIBC and National Bank — earned $34.88 billion in net income during fiscal 2015, up almost five per cent from $33.27 billion last year.

    Banks Defy Sluggish Economy, But Analysts Question Whether It Can Last

    CRTC Uses Anti-spam Powers To Take Down Toronto-based Malware Server

    CRTC Uses Anti-spam Powers To Take Down Toronto-based Malware Server
    A computer infected with Dorkbot can also download other malware and compromise a system further.

    CRTC Uses Anti-spam Powers To Take Down Toronto-based Malware Server

    Son Of Slain Couple Stands By RCMP And Crown Despite Disclosure Problems

    Brett McCann has been attending a pre-trial hearing this week for Travis Vader, who is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the 2010 deaths of Lyle and Marie McCann.

    Son Of Slain Couple Stands By RCMP And Crown Despite Disclosure Problems