On Tuesday, a retired combat vet stopped a would-be robbery in a Pennsylvania bar while a gun was pointed at him.
According to the Altoona Police Department, a hooded suspect entered Ajay’s Bar in Altoona at around 1 a.m. demanding money, Military.com reported.
A surveillance video shows the bartender emptying the register while the hooded suspect holds a gun on him.
“We have posted a series of short surveillance videos from an armed robbery that occurred today at Ajay’s Bar, 2901 Maple Ave. at 1:00 a.m. We apologize for the quality of the videos, but at this time the owner of the bar is still trying to copy the actual footage onto a disk. This is a cell phone recording of the original footage. Better footage will be posted when available, thank you,” the Altoona Police Department said.
The bartender was a Marine veteran whose name has not been released. Just as he went to hand the robber the money, he pulled a fast move and instead tackled the robber to the ground, taking his gun, according to the Marine Corps Times.
One bullet was fired from the gun, but fortunately, no one was injured from the bullet. However, the robber was beaten up by the veteran during the encounter.
The robber ran out of the bar covered in blood, but did get away.
Altoona police said a retired Marine Corps combat veteran disarmed a man trying to rob a bar early Tuesday morning.https://t.co/9UuZRD6ned
— CBS 21 News (@CBS21NEWS) December 19, 2018
Police are not certain of the robber’s gender since most of their face was covered, but they do know the individual was a “light-skinned black male or female” around 5 ft 7 inches and weighing approximately 180 lb, The Daily Mail reported.
Police said the suspect would have “apparent facial and head injuries.”
The suspect was described as wearing a blue winter jacket, a blue hat, jeans, and plaid scarf. The weapon used in the incident was left behind by the suspect and had been reported as stolen.
“They definitely picked the wrong bar at the wrong time,” said Altoona Police Sgt. Matthew Plummer.
Altoona Police are asking the public for any information on the suspect that could lead to an arrest.
Altoona Police said in a Facebook post, “Last evening we were assisted by Lost and Hound / Heaven Scent Bloodhound Search & Rescue. The result of the search leads officers to believe that the suspect fled in a vehicle that was parked nearby. We are asking anyone who resides in the neighborhood of Ajay’s Bar to please check their home surveillance systems from 12/18 around the hours of 12:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.”
