Worcester Convenience Store Clerk Shot Fighting Off Would-Be Robber
WORCESTER (CBS) - A convenience store clerk in Worcester is recovering from a gunshot wound in his leg after he tried to fight off an armed robber.
"Man came in with a gun, put it at my dad's head, and told him to give everything he had," said his son Rahman Sarwar. That's when Sarwar says his father, Muhammad Jabbar, did something very unexpected. He says Jabbar has always told his employees at the Edgemere Mini-Mart not to fight when someone makes a threat, but this time he ignored his own advice.
"My dad just kind of knocked the gun away you know, get that out of my face kind of thing, and he then got into a little bit of an altercation," Sarwar said.
The intruder pulled out a gun, shooting Jabbar in the thigh, and running out of the store without any money.
"Unless you're in his shoes," says Worcester Police Sgt. Michael Hanlon. "There was a split-second decision he made. Bottom line is you have to do what you feel you need to do to protect yourself, and he did what he felt he needed to do."
Police are searching for the gunman, who covered his face with a mask and hood.
Family members say Jabbar is recovering after surgery, and is expected to be released from UMass Memorial Medical Center soon.