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Saved by his cell phone: Fla. gas station clerk's cell phone reportedly blocks bullet during armed robbery

Gas station clerk's cellphone saved him from bullet fired by armed robber CBS affiliate WKMG

(CBS) WINTER GARDEN, Fla. - Police say a gas station employee only suffered minor injuries during an armed robbery after his smart phone blocked a bullet, according to CBS affiliate WKMG.

The station reports that police say the suspect walked into a Hess gas station and asked the clerk to help him find a beverage. He then pulled a revolver and demanded the employee open the safe.

The clerk reportedly tried to comply with the man's request but couldn't. A second employee tried to open the safe but also failed, the station reports.

The robber allegedly left the store and fired a shot on his way out, hitting the clerk in the abdomen. Police said the victim was not seriously injured because his cellphone blocked the bullet.

"It could have been life ending. So he's very lucky that the cell phone stopped the bullet and he's able to go home," Lt. Scott Allen of Winter Garden Police Department told the station.

Police reportedly described the suspect as a black man, 6 feet tall, wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt, pants, sunglasses, a bright yellow traffic vest and white gloves.

Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to contact authorities.

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