Would-be-robber with air gun disarmed by supermarket staff in Osaka

Thursday 19th February, 09:23 AM JST

OSAKA —

Staff at a supermarket in Sakai City were able to disarm and subdue a gun-toting man early Wednesday morning, with parts of the unsuccessful robbery captured on in-store cameras, police said.

The man entered the 24-hour supermarket at around 1 a.m. Wednesday morning wearing a black jumper and pointed a gun at an employee behind the counter. The man demanded he hand over cash, but the worker told him to wait several times. The armed man became impatient and attempted to open the cash register himself, activating an alarm. The employee behind the counter grabbed the man’s arms, while another staff member grabbed the man from behind, and together they held him down until police arrived.

Police arrested the 47-year-old unemployed man for attempted robbery, and said the weapon confiscated was an air gun. Police said the supermarket was robbed of 500,000 yen by a knife-wielding man in December and that staff had attended a crime-prevention training course last month.

Police also said that an eyewitness reported seeing a car speed off outside the store shortly after the alarm went off, and are searching for the vehicle.

News reports

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Latest 15 of 16 Total Comments Show All

BBLeo at 09:43 AM JST - 19th February

Good on you members of the 'Staff.' Now you are ready to join police force, they need people like you, so that they can get rid of all uniformed dreamers. Here is another example of unemployed robbing for his bread. I told you yesterday that such crime will grow now daily. How long it took cops to arrive on the scene?
Spidey at 09:44 AM JST - 19th February

Risking your life to protect family and friends...OK. But to risk it protecting your boss's profits?...NOT A CHANCE IN HELL!

Wake up and smell the gun powder people!

S
bushlover at 09:51 AM JST - 19th February

Anyway if the weapon is not pointed at you and there is backup there then I applaud them for their actions. Some people have b@ll5 not like JT posters.
smartacus at 09:52 AM JST - 19th February

Spidey

I disagree. I admire the staff. They certainly did a better job than those 11 wimps at Uniqlo.
Faderkinta at 09:53 AM JST - 19th February

Police said the supermarket was robbed of 500,000 yen by a knife-wielding man in December and that staff had attended a crime-prevention training course last month.

Ok and what crime-prevention training course tells you to wrestle down the assailant and possible get yourself hurt for just cash? Heroic but damn stupid, somebodies going to get hurt imitating these guys.
likeitis at 10:13 AM JST - 19th February

They certainly did a better job than those 11 wimps at Uniqlo.

The people at Uniqlo were faced with a real weapon. And yes, I think it likely that these two knew it was a non-lethal airgun.
Spidey at 11:50 AM JST - 19th February

"I disagree. I admire the staff. They certainly did a better job than those 11 wimps at Uniqlo."

Heroism does not involve saving or rescuing cash from a certain demise! Living creatures on the other hand...is a different story. But if one feels the need to jeopardize one's existence (and the possible repercussions therein) all for the sake of money, by all means go ahead.

S
bushlover at 12:04 PM JST - 19th February

What's that quote about good men doing nothing is all that is needed for evil to persist?
telecasterplayer at 12:28 PM JST - 19th February

The employee behind the counter grabbed the man’s arms, while another staff member grabbed the man from behind

..and you don't want to know what the produce guy did with a daikon. Seriously, is the video posted anywhere yet?
likeitis at 02:48 PM JST - 19th February

Heroism does not involve saving or rescuing cash from a certain demise!

True, but I think heroism does involve apprehending criminals who terrorize other people. It is remotely possible his next robbery could have gone very very wrong, and someone could have gotten hurt. Another possibility is him hurting someone while fleeing the scene.

I think these guys deserve the title of hero. But they also deserve the title of fool at the same time, because a look at the odds does not remotely justify the risk.
bobbafett at 03:23 PM JST - 19th February

They probably noticed it was just an air gun. A real gun would have done the job no doubt.
ca1ic0cat at 09:46 PM JST - 19th February

I would say the staff made the right move. There is no telling what an armed felon is going to do. There are plenty of instances where the clerk hands over the cash just to get shot anyway. The crook was distracted, the gun wasn't pointed at anybody, jump him. Kick him a few times while he's down, too.
MeanRingo at 09:58 PM JST - 19th February

I think the 65-year-old dude in Saitama who got stabbed in the chest also took this same crime prevention course. Didn't quite end with the same result though.
yawmin at 02:53 AM JST - 20th February

"I think these guys deserve the title of hero. But they also deserve the title of fool at the same time, because a look at the odds does not remotely justify the risk."

I dont think many people have been killed with an airsoft gun, if you look directly and at real gun and air soft gun (any caliber) its very apparent, then i would have knocked him for the nerve of threatening me with a bb gun. . . i agree with your statement if it was a real gun or a knife.
grafton at 06:37 AM JST - 21st February

I can only reason that this is the best thing that could have happened to this robber, he goes into a store with an airgun of all things & when he sets off the alarm his driver takes off abandoning him. He care & protection, what a loser!