Iowa Man Stops Casey’s Robbery By… Being Really Chill
Okay everyone, deep breaths now... in... out. Why? Because being calm could help you talk a heat-packing robber off a ledge. It happened to be the ticket for Brice Gathercole. Gathercole actually came face to face with a gun tottin' would-be robber named Danny Stevens, according to a KTTC report.
"I was walking in to get a bag of ice."
The report says Gathercole was heading to his neighborhood Casey's, as most Iowans do several times a week, to grab a bag of ice. Upon entering the Casey's just outside of Des Moines in nearby Colfax, he saw robber Danny Stevens behind the counter at Casey's. He had a gun and was stuffing his pockets full of cigarettes (normal).
Now let's pause here... picture this is you. You have entered your neighborhood Casey's hoping to get ice, and logically some pizza. You witness an armed robber... Do you A). turn around and leave, and dial 9-1-1 when you're speeding away? Or do you, B). start a convo with the guy? If you're Gathercole, it's B obviously...
Gathercole offered the per a ride
Gathercole, upon seeing the robbery,
I just started talking to him ... trying to keep everything nice and calm and cool, asking if he needed any help or if he needed a ride somewhere. Anything to get him kind of calm and relaxed
Kudos to you Mr. Gathercole. I'd have exercised option A, then my blatter promptly after. But that wasn't all, Gathercole talked Stevens, the robber, into not pointing his firearm at him. He then grabbed the barrel of the gun and pulled it off to his side, disabling the weapon. As he continued to chat with Stevens, police showed up and the whole thing ended peacefully. Stevens was arrested, and Gathercole got his bag of ice. On the house, I hope... The Colfax Police Chief called Gathercole "a hero." I'd agree. Gathercole said he didn't think he was. He's just a man... who wants some ice.
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