QUOTE
Owner pulls gun on would-be robber - then gives him cash
BY JOHN VALENTI
john.valenti@newsday.com
12:23 PM EDT, June 2, 2009
When a bat-wielding man walked into a Shirley convenience store and demanded cash, store owner Mohammad Sohail pulled out a rifle in self-defense.
And when the would-be robber dropped to his knees and begged forgiveness, saying desperate economic times had pushed him to the edge, Sohail did the unthinkable:
He put down the rifle - and handed the desperate man $40 and a loaf of bread.
Most of the incident, which Suffolk County Police said was reported in a 911 call at 12:35 a.m. on Thursday, May 21, was captured on a surveillance camera at the Shirley Express.
"He started crying," Sohail said of the would-be robber's reaction once the store owner pulled out his rifle.
As Sohail said: "He was saying: 'I have no money. I have no food. I have no job. I have to take care of my family.' "
PHOTOS: Shirley store owner turns the tables on would-be robber
A longtime Shirley resident and immigrant from Pakistan who's been on Long Island more than 20 years, Sohail said he knows times are tough.
Which, he said, is why he was willing to extend a hand.
"This wasn't someone who was 16 years old," he told Newsday. "It was a man. He said: 'Please, don't shoot me. Please, don't call the police.'
"I feel very bad for him."
The video, provided to Newsday by News 12, clearly shows the man at the store counter, demanding cash, and shows Sohail reaching under the counter for the rifle.
The video then shows the would-be robber as he drops to his knees and puts his hands together in front of his face in a pleading motion.
It was then Sohail said he struck his deal with the would-be robber: He told him to promise he would never try to rob anyone again. And he gave him the money and the bread.
He also agreed not to press charges against the man.
Sohail said that after handing the man the $40 and the bread, he went to get him some milk. When he returned, the man had fled the scene on foot.
Sohail said he immediately called 911, and the police responded promptly.
Police on Tuesday confirmed the report, saying the would-be robber was a masked man "armed with a bat" and he "apologized and pleaded, saying he was poor and needed money."
The incident remains under investigation, police said.
They are asking anyone with information regarding the attempted robbery to call Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS.
Still, Sohail told Newsday, he does not want the would-be robber to end up in jail.
He is simply hopeful the man will keep his word - the promise he made before Sohail offered a helping hand, instead of a barrelful of lead.
"I told him, 'Please, don't rob anybody again,' " Sohail recalled of his words to the man. "I hope he learned something."
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