AZ:Armed Citizen Thwarts Bank Robbers, Kills One

After being shot, one robber dropped the stolen money.

An armed citizen in Arizona has stopped a bank robbery in a dramatic and effective fashion.   It appears that he determined what was happening, took action, and fired on the armed robbers when they resisted.   One robber was killed, the other is in custody.   It reminds one a bit of the famous Arkansas bank robbery that was thwarted by armed citizens in 1922.  From abc15.com:

"He took the keys out of the car because they left the car running. And so he took the keys out of the car and kind of, I guess, he stood behind it waiting for them (the suspects) to come out," said Therea Sessler, owner of Fix Salon.

The armed citizen used his head to gain tactical advantage.   He disabled the armed robbers means of escape, then took cover.  In the video, the witness above says that he "hid" behind the vehicle.

I suspect that he called the police.   It is not reported, but it makes sense to have reinforcements coming and aware of your presence.   We do not know if the robbers fired at him.  The citizen who thwarted the robbers was not identified, but the word on the street is that he was someone who owns a nearby business.

The Desert Schools Credit Union is located in a strip mall next to a Big 5 Sporting goods store.  Here is what the scene looks like from the air.  The Credit Union is to the right of the Big 5 sporting goods.

There appear to be four vehicles inside the police tape at the scene.   The planned getaway car may have been the gray sedan on the right.   It is blocking the handicapped space directly in front of the Credit Union.   The robber could easily have run the distance to where the money was dropped in front of the Big 5 before collapsing.

In the 1922 Arkansas bank robbery attempt, an armed citizen noticed a running car outside the bank, with a getaway driver in it.   He flattened both tires with a handgun;  the driver attempted to flee, but was shot by another citizen with a shotgun.   Three robbers were killed, two seriously wounded and captured.   Not one citizen was hit with stray gunshots.


©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

Update: This magazine was found at the scene.  Its origin has not been reported.  It appears to be for .40 S&W or 9mm ammunition.

  
Lyndell Cherry, 29 is the robbery suspect who was shot.  The photo at the source  is several years old.

The armed citizen was extremely careful, and did not draw his gun or fire until the suspected bank robbers attempted to carjack an innocent couple.  The armed citizen is reported to be Sean Quaid.   From phoenixnewtimes.com:
 

The robbers saw a man getting out of a Chevrolet Silverado pickup and decided to steal his vehicle. Jones pointed his handgun at the pickup's driver -- and Quaid, apparently standing nearby, drew his own gun from a holster and told the pair to stop.

Cherry turned and aimed at Quaid, who fired his gun.

As the robber fell, the couple in the pickup apparently hopped out. Cherry threw his gun to Jones, who jumped in the pickup and drove off by himself. As mentioned, he didn't get very far. He hit a building, ran a red light, hit a car and then fled on foot, shedding clothes as he ran. Police nabbed him moments later.

Phoenix New Times did a good job on reporting details not mentioned in the old media.