WA:Armed Citizens Defuse Hostage Situation

 Three brave pawn shop employees take risks to rescue their friends and innocent customers.     A mentally disturbed man jumped the counter in the store, grabbed a shotgun, loaded it, and shot wildly.  From spokesman.com:

Double Eagle employees, however, helped free some of those who didn’t make it out when Johnson began shooting. 

(snip)

Several Double Eagle workers left the building armed with guns and gathered on the east end of the building. “They counted bodies and realized two workers were not accounted for,” said Brian Wegner, a company manager who was not at the Sprague store at the time.

In addition to the two employees, two customers were still inside, including Spokane resident Justin Roberson.

(snip)

Within a few minutes the three armed employees walked toward the front door of the building. One of the three, whom Wegner would not identify, entered and confronted Johnson.

“He told the guy, ‘Don’t make me use this,’ and told him he wanted the two co-workers and store customers to leave safely,” Wegner said.

Wegner said the gunman said nothing and let the group leave by the front door.

While not clear from the article, it appears that the employees' actions took place well before the police arrived.

Responding police arrived some time later with an armored personal carrier, an airplane, and such a large number of officers that police response to a significant area was officially limited.

The event illustrates that armed citizens are often on the scene at the moment of the crime, can act effectively, and can save lives.

No one was physically injured at the crime scene.  The subject was talked out in about a half an hour.

Armed citizens and police reinforce and complement each other.