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Thieves scatter after store employee pulls out gun to thwart robbery
A group of would-be thieves was stopped in their track when confronted by an armed store employee.
PLEASANT HILL, Calif. - A Pleasant Hill consignment-store worker scared off a group of would-be robbers by pointing his gun at them.
"I showed them my gun, and I told them to stop it, I have a gun," said 73-year-old Albert Marcu, of his confrontation with a group of young men at Estates Consignments on Contra Costa Boulevard.
"They (ran) because they saw my gun and, you know, I was serious about it," Marcu said. "They panicked, and they run out."
It happened at about 4:20 p.m. on Monday at the store which sells jewelry, rings and watches.
Surveillance video shows a woman walking through the store. Marcu believes she was a scout scoping out all the security cameras while on the phone with the young men.
Video shows the woman walking out of the store and stalling to try and keep the security guard from shutting the door on her friends. But the suspects forced the door open and bum-rushed their way inside. One of them was carrying a sledgehammer.
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After a worker screams, Marcu makes his way to the jewelry section, as do the intruders. That is when Marcu pulls out his .38-caliber revolver.
The group scatters out of the shop and climbs into two Infiniti Q50s. Almost immediately, a Pleasant Hill police cruiser pulled up right behind the vehicles.
Despite the quick police response, the vehicles took off, and the intruders escaped. Marcu said, perhaps with their lives.
"If they threaten my life or the life of my employees, I'lll use the gun, 100%," he said.
He said he keeps his revolver on him inside the store because of recent similar incidents.
Video shows two men smashing display cases and stealing jewelry at the Home Consignment Center in Danville a week ago.
"I didn’t want to shoot anybody, but I have to make a statement. Too many bad things have happened. Stores get robbed left and right," Marcu said.
The intruders have yet another reason to consider themselves lucky: Tiger, Marcu's German shepherd, happened to be at the groomer’s that day.
"I have a message for all business owners, to take example and fight for themselves, because if you don’t fight for yourself, nobody will," Marcu said.
KTVU has learned that one of the suspect vehicles in Monday's incident was stolen and triggered a license plate reader alert.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan.