Good Question: Who Wins -- Armed Robbery-Foiling Pharmacist Or Company That Fired Him?

By Christy Strawser
CBS Detroit Managing Editor

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (CBS Detroit) -- Grand Rapids pharmacist Jeremy Hoven is under fire -- and out of a job -- after he stopped an attempted armed robbery by firing his own gun while he was working at 4:30 a.m. one day earlier this summer.

He scared off two masked gunmen, and fortunately no one was injured.

But management at Walgreens in Benton Harbor gave Hoven his walking papers. The 36-year-old claims they fired him for carrying a weapon to work, and engaging in the escalation of an attempted robbery, which is against policy.

Hoven had a concealed weapons permit and a legally registered gun, according to his lawyers. But he had not informed Walgreens he carried it to work.

So, was he wrong for breaking company rules?

Hoven doesn't believe so. He sued for wrongful termination last month in the U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids.

The Associated Press reported that Hoven read a statement about the robbery at a press conference after the filing where he said he was in the rear of the store when he saw a manager pushed toward him by an armed robber. He said the robber tried to shoot him as he attempted to dial 911.

"I feared for my life," said Hoven, who described the shooting to the Associated Press as an act of self defense.

Security camera footage shows two masked men pointing guns at employees before one jumped over the pharmacy counter. After the pharmacist shoots, the two robbers flee, scrambling to get away.

In a response to the lawsuit, Walgreen Co. disputes any claim that Hoven had a right to carry or discharge a concealed weapon on its premises.

"Walgreens had a plausible and legitimate business reason to justify its decision," Walgreen's attorneys wrote in a response to the lawsuit, according to the Associated Press.

Watch the video and tell us who you think is right.