Robber Points .45 at Store Clerk’s Head, Then 3 Gun-Toting Customers Come to Rescue, Police Say

A would-be robber had the tables turned on him during the attempted robbery of convenience store in Ellijay, Georgia, this week, according to police. Shawn Sutton, 39, of nearby Blue Ridge, Georgia, was arrested on robbery charges after the incident, which took place around 6:30 p.m. Monday, the Ellijay Police Department reported. Sutton’s alleged attempted robbery would involve the intervention of three responsibly-armed citizens, a .45 caliber handgun pointed at a poor store clerk’s head, and, perhaps most improbably, a pair of women’s underwear being used as a disguise. Yes, seriously. Let’s get into it.   According to police, Sutton entered the store posing as a customer looking to buy an energy drink. At the time, there were two customers in the store and one at the fuel pumps. After grabbing the drink, Sutton allegedly pulled a pair of women’s panties from around his neck to cover his face. Ah, yes. The perfect disguise. It’s also worth noting that unless there was no surveillance present, and no one was looking at him before he donned the “mask,” video or witnesses likely already caught this guy’s face. Being thus disguised, the report said, Sutton went behind the counter, pointed a .45 caliber pistol at the store clerk’s head and demanded all the money. The other shoppers noticed what was going on and quickly got involved. “A customer, legally carrying a concealed pistol, produced his firearm and intervened in the robbery,” the police reported. “[T]he second customer went to his vehicle, obtained his pistol, and returned to assist the first customer in subduing the suspect.” At that point, realizing he was quite literally outgunned, Sutton decided it was time to make his exit. As he was attempting to get out of Dodge, police said the third customer, who was also armed, came into the store to help, at which time the first customer warned the other two off, saying that Sutton had already been disarmed. At that point, the police arrived. Sutton, still trying to flee, had to be subdued with a Taser, officers reported. Police arrested Sutton and his wife Melody, 39, who had been waiting in the couple’s vehicle, according to the report. It’s possible the wife had waited there to make a getaway faster, although Ellijay police didn’t engage in conjecture. Shawn Sutton has been charged with “armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon,” according to WSB-TV. Melody Sutton will face charges of “armed robbery, intimidation and taking control of a substance.” Should these two be found guilty in a court of law, this incident can probably be logged somewhere in the “Why You Don’t Commit Dangerous Crimes in Small Towns in Constitutional Carry States” handbook. This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.