ATLANTA — An armed man trying to rob a Chick-fil-A was sent running when an employee fought him off for more than three minutes in the kitchen, according to investigators in Georgia.
The brawl was caught on surveillance video and it shows the employee grabbed the man’s wrists and ultimately pushed him out a door.
It happened at 4:30 a.m. on July 1 in Stone Mountain, but details were not released until Wednesday, July 31, when an arrest was made, Gwinnett County Police said. Stone Mountain is about a 20-mile drive northeast from Atlanta.
The man pointed a gun at the employee and told him to open the safe or he would be shot, officials said. (Screenshot from video surveillance)
“The victim told (deputies) that he was a delivery driver for the business and while he was inside working, the suspect smashed through a drive-thru window with a rock and entered the kitchen,” police said in a news release.
“The suspect told the victim that he was going to die if he didn’t open the safe and pointed a handgun at him. The victim told police that he didn’t know the combination to the safe, so he decided to fight off the armed robber.”
Surveillance video shows they struggled over the gun for three and a half minutes, including periods when the two men appeared to be exhausted and gasping for breath.
The suspect was gone by the time deputies arrived, but the victim was able to pull off his mask, giving investigators a clear idea of the man’s appearance.
“Detectives were eventually able to identify a vehicle they believed the suspect used to get to the location. That vehicle led to the identification,” officials said.
The victim, identified as Kevin Blair, said the suspect pointed the gun in his face, prompting him to take action, WSB-TV reports.
“It’s not worth taking that risk that he’s willing to pull the trigger,” Blair told the station. “I was fortunate he was standing close enough that I could get my hands on his wrist and keep control of the gun and keep it pointed away from me.”
Tommie Lee Williams, the 51-year-old suspect, is charged with:
Armed robbery Aggravated assault Burglary in the second degree Kidnapping Possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon