Add pepper spray to the long list of things you “don’t bring to a gun fight.” And you really shouldn’t start that fight in a gun store, either.
Police tell New York’s Daily News that Wednesday morning the thief walked into DF Brothers Sports Center—one of the city’s last firearms dealers. The suspect was dressed like a construction worker, and asked the owner, Frank Taormina, to “see the guns.” Taormina asked to see the man’s gun permit, and that’s when the robber blasted the owner with pepper spray, pulled out a sledgehammer and shattered a display case.
The thief snatched two pistols while Taormina managed to grab his own gun, firing off two rounds and hitting the crook at least once. The suspect fled the scene, and while investigators followed a trail of blood, it’s believed the suspect escaped in a waiting car. The shop owner was treated for pepper spray exposure, but was not seriously injured.