YUMA, Arizona (WWNY) – A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, who disarmed a teenage robbery suspect in an Arizona gas station by grabbing his gun, was born and raised in Theresa.
James Kilcer said he was talking to the clerk on Wednesday when the gun-pointing suspect entered the store with two companions.
“It was definitely not what I was expecting, but you always have to be ready for that kind of stuff,” Kilcer told the Yuma Sun.
According to the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, three suspects went into a Chevron and one pointed a handgun towards the cashier.
Kilcer, now a Army Yuma Proving Ground civilian employee, said the suspect and his companions were looking at the clerk, not him.
“I scanned them for any other weapons and didn’t see any,” Kilcer said. “I knew he was my guy at that point.”
Kicler sprang at the suspect, grabbed the gun and hit the suspect in the face with a bag of drinks.
Kilcer said he then held the suspect from behind at gunpoint as his two companions ran away.
“I guess I was just in the right place at the right time,” Kilcer said. “I was doing what needed to be done.”
The 14-year-old suspect was booked into the county Juvenile Justice Center on charges of armed robbery and aggravated assault.
The other two suspects were still being sought.
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