Approximately 3:30 AM on a Friday morning, a robber described as 6’ 5”, 245 lbs., entered a fast food restaurant, forced the manager at gunpoint to open the safe.  He then forced her and co-workers into the store’s freezer before exiting the building.  One of the crew members called 911 on her cell phone from inside the freezer.  Police stated that the robber got away with about $1,000 in cash.

Armed robbery.  The very combination of those two words makes one shudder. Within the Justice system, the act of armed robbery is a felony and a conviction carries serious consequences.  Yet many, fueled by drugs, alcohol, or desperation, plus their perception of an “easy mark”, are willing to take the risk.

The young manager knelt in front of the safe, a thousand thoughts cluttering his head. His fingers were nearly frozen with fear as he fumbled with the combination. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears. A few thoughts came into focus; “please just get through this”, as the cold steel of the handgun pressed against his temple. He couldn’t remember if he kissed his wife goodbye when he left for work, or if he grabbed the sippy cup that was lying on its side, leaking milk on the baby seat in his car. The last number on the dial clicked into place releasing the handle of the safe. He pulled down on the handle and the door creaked open. In a sigh of relief, he leaned over and placed his back against the wall of the office, as the armed robber pushed passed him, greedily grabbing the cash. The robber’s attention, now focused on grabbing the money, was diverted and he laid the gun at his foot. The manager staring at the weapon quickly weighed his options. Should I grab the gun? Stay where I am? Get up and run?” The next chapter is yet to be written.

Last Friday, an employee of Long John Silver’s in Jackson, MI opened the back door to take out the trash after closing.  He was confronted by two men wearing bandanas, one with a gun.  A friend of the employee who was waiting in the parking lot for his friend to get off work tried to help.  The employee and his friend were both assaulted.  The suspects then entered the restaurant through the back door and confronted the manager at gunpoint.  They demanded cash and exited through the back door.  The employee and his friend were treated and released from the local hospital.  Police are investigating the incident. 

The order was placed from an unsavory part of town in Newport, RI.   The eyes of the driver delivering the pizza were sweeping from side to side as he drove down the dark street, his knuckles gripping the wheel a bit tighter than usual.  The roof of his car was adorned with the pizza company’s roof topper.  He knew it made his car stand out.  He was very aware that several deliveries to this particular area resulted in armed robberies, the latest in which the driver was assaulted.  He quickly glanced at the house address, then in the mirror, and again side to side.  The house was just ahead. 

In Panama City, Florida a man called a local restaurant and threatened “to drive my truck through the building and kill everyone”, following a domestic dispute with his wife who was employed there.  He made good on his promise smashing through the Waffle House and hitting his wife with his vehicle.  She was taken to the hospital with non life threatening injuries.  He was arrested for attempted murder and felony criminal mischief.  This was just one of the estimated 13,000 acts of violence against women at work each year by their domestic partners.

Yasin Sara was robbed at his Y & S Supermarket this past week in Tampa, FL.  Sadly the robbery turned tragic when Sara confronted the gunman and was shot in the chest.   Luckily he is in critical but stable condition and expected to recover.  News accounts quoted a customer stating “he was the type of guy who stood his ground”, and “he was going to protect what was his.”  We love to root for the little guy, triumph over evil, and good guys over thugs. 

It was the crime of the year; $7.4 million in stolen government computers from a heavily alarmed Tampa warehouse.  The burglary was committed by disabling the alarm system and cameras, cutting a hole in the roof, and rappelling 20 feet into the warehouse.  The laptops were loaded onto two semitrailer trucks.  There were, however, a few slip-ups in the well choreographed crime.  The burglars missed two of the cameras and a distinct vehicle was recorded at the crime scene.   The police investigators used their intuition and surveyed recordings from neighboring businesses – they were rewarded with a breakthrough piece of evidence.

Exposure to the elements for any length of time can lead to devastating consequences. Skin unprotected from the sun may result in serious sunburn. Extended exposure to freezing temperatures, human tissue may be susceptible to frostbite. A body in cold water succumbs to hypothermia. All of these conditions of exposure are risk factors to tragic outcomes. Exposure to violent crime relates directly relates to serious injury and death.

The headline in the local newspaper caught my eye, “Pizza shop owner disarms robber”, accompanied by a photo of the grinning business owner with one of his delivery drivers. As loss prevention professional I understand there are differing perspectives on this. I will give my perspective, but want to first state the facts of the article.