Armed Citizen Causes Robbers to Flee in Ohio

Here's another armed-citizen story that the liberal media tends to ignore from our friends at the Cam & Company show on NRANews.com. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that deli operator Anis Cherradi fended off two young robbers with a gun he keeps under the counter.

Cherradi was alone in his Beech Avenue store at 7:42 p.m. Tuesday when two robbers walked in. They appeared to be 18-22 years old. He said he'd never seen them before.

One pointed a revolver at him, walked around the counter and demanded money. The gunman tried to force the married father of three small children into a headlock, shoving the gun against his head. "Get down!" the robber ordered.

As Cherradi went to the floor, he said he reached for a gun he keeps under the counter, a loaded 9mm Smith & Wesson.

Robberies, he said, are frequent in the neighborhood, and his brother was shot during one at the store two years ago.

As Cherradi struggled with the gunman, he squeezed off two shots.

"He just let go and started running," Cherradi said.

Neither robber, who fled in a tan sedan, was apparently hit, Cincinnati police said.

"Even if you let them rob you, there is a big chance they will shoot at you anyway," Cherradi said.

In the summer of 2006, Cherradi said, his younger brother was working alone when two men armed with guns came into the store. They shot him. He returned fire and wounded them, Cherradi said. His brother has recovered.

"That's why I never take a chance with a robber and let them do what they want to do," Cherradi said.

"Look at my brother. They shot him first and asked questions later. I know what the outcome could be if they come to rob you. Even if you let them rob you, there is a big chance they will shoot at you anyway. I have a family and kids. I am not going to let something like that happen to me."

Cincinnati police didn't charge Cherradi. They were "very helpful and understanding," he said. "They know what kind of an area it is."

In this case, the newspaper reports, there are broader questions about whether the deli is a completely legitimate business. Investigations by the Ohio Liquor Control Commission uncovered allegations of drugs and drug equipment on the premises. Not every story has just one heroic side. But these stories generally do underline that being armed in self-defense can certainly intimidate criminals.

Cam Edwards interviewed Cherradi in the second hour of his program on the NRANews website (and Sirius satellite radio).