Police: Victim shoots robber at St. Pete Applebee's | TBO.com
Defend your self cause you if you got time to call the police for help with a phone you aren't really in need of an emergency that cop can help you. I hope this guy gets a bigger caliber gun too
ST. PETERSBURG --
Raven Smith and his girlfriend, Lesley Tanner, drove to a favorite restaurant Sunday to get a late dinner.
The Applebee's, 4700 Fourth St. N., was still packed at 10 p.m., so they parked toward the rear of the lot.
Tanner began to walk around the car to Smith when he noticed someone wearing a ski mask behind her. Smith saw that the suspect had something in his hand, and he yelled at Tanner to get down.
Smith pulled out his .38 caliber handgun and shot at the suspect multiple times, striking him four times.
"I just knew I had to act; I had to stop this guy," said Smith, 34, who has a concealed weapons permit.
"I could not lose her," he said. "And I had to protect us. I had to keep us together. I had to keep us safe."
The suspect, 17-year-old Anthony Hauser, of St. Petersburg, fell to the ground and yelled at Smith to stop shooting. Hauser said the gun he was carrying was a fake. When police arrived, they determined the gun Hauser had was a loaded .25 caliber automatic pistol.
Hauser, who will be charged with two counts of attempted robbery, was taken to Bayfront Medical Center. He is listed in serious condition but is expected to survive, St. Petersburg police said.
Smith of St. Petersburg said he's gone through a range of emotions from anger to remorse. Investigators took his gun as evidence, but he's planning to buy a new one for safety.
"I would have been happy going to my grave without ever needing it but now that I have needed it, I'm very glad I had it," said Smith, who has been carrying a gun for over a decade.
Tanner, who has dated Smith for six months, said she's proud of him.
"He's a hero," said Tanner, the St. Petersburg mother of a 6-year-old girl. "If it wasn't for him, I may not be alive today."
Both Tanner and Smith said they were pleased to learn Hauser is expected to survive.
"Maybe he can learn his lesson … and change his life," said Smith, an aircraft mechanic.
Smith will not be charged with any crime because he was acting in self-defense, police said.
Defend your self cause you if you got time to call the police for help with a phone you aren't really in need of an emergency that cop can help you. I hope this guy gets a bigger caliber gun too
ST. PETERSBURG --
Raven Smith and his girlfriend, Lesley Tanner, drove to a favorite restaurant Sunday to get a late dinner.
The Applebee's, 4700 Fourth St. N., was still packed at 10 p.m., so they parked toward the rear of the lot.
Tanner began to walk around the car to Smith when he noticed someone wearing a ski mask behind her. Smith saw that the suspect had something in his hand, and he yelled at Tanner to get down.
Smith pulled out his .38 caliber handgun and shot at the suspect multiple times, striking him four times.
"I just knew I had to act; I had to stop this guy," said Smith, 34, who has a concealed weapons permit.
"I could not lose her," he said. "And I had to protect us. I had to keep us together. I had to keep us safe."
The suspect, 17-year-old Anthony Hauser, of St. Petersburg, fell to the ground and yelled at Smith to stop shooting. Hauser said the gun he was carrying was a fake. When police arrived, they determined the gun Hauser had was a loaded .25 caliber automatic pistol.
Hauser, who will be charged with two counts of attempted robbery, was taken to Bayfront Medical Center. He is listed in serious condition but is expected to survive, St. Petersburg police said.
Smith of St. Petersburg said he's gone through a range of emotions from anger to remorse. Investigators took his gun as evidence, but he's planning to buy a new one for safety.
"I would have been happy going to my grave without ever needing it but now that I have needed it, I'm very glad I had it," said Smith, who has been carrying a gun for over a decade.
Tanner, who has dated Smith for six months, said she's proud of him.
"He's a hero," said Tanner, the St. Petersburg mother of a 6-year-old girl. "If it wasn't for him, I may not be alive today."
Both Tanner and Smith said they were pleased to learn Hauser is expected to survive.
"Maybe he can learn his lesson … and change his life," said Smith, an aircraft mechanic.
Smith will not be charged with any crime because he was acting in self-defense, police said.
Nice to see a thief get what he deserved
