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He grabbed his chest faking heart problem then shot suspect
Thanks to 77-year-old Mike Brown's quick thinking, at least one man involved in this robbery was detained by police.
Laura Shallcross
09.21.20

Robbing a gun store seems like poor judgment, but a group of men decided to do just that early this month, setting their sights on Mikeโ€™s Gun Room in Richardson.

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During the raid of the store, in which two men were armed, things didnโ€™t quite go to plan. Though most of the group was able to escape, one man didnโ€™t โ€“ and the story behind his capture is like nothing youโ€™ve heard before.

77-year-old Mike Brown, a Marine and Vietnam veteran, runs Mikeโ€™s Gun Room alone. He said that the men looked like any other group of shoppers to begin with, but soon made it clear that their real mission was robbery.

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The customers didnโ€™t appear to know much about guns at all. It was only a few moments later that the men robbed Mike at gunpoint.

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Because of the COVID rules regarding wearing masks in public places, it wasnโ€™t out of the ordinary to Mike that the group of men had on their own masks.

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But this would play to their advantage, because their facial features were partially obscured, and they were able to conceal their identities as they carried out the robbery.

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Mike recalled that the men ordered him to get down on the floor while they raided the store. In all of his 26 years owning a gun store, he said, heโ€™d played such a scenario out in his head โ€“ but it had never happened until now.

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The men held guns to the back of Mikeโ€™s head while they stole at least 50 weapons. But Mike wasnโ€™t just going to lie there and let the robbery happen. He had a plan to reach his own gun, and it involved a bit of acting.

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Repeating to Fox 4 what he said to the robbers, he said:

โ€œIโ€™ve got a heart condition and I need to get to my pills.โ€

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Mikeโ€™s acting worked, and he was able to get to his gun โ€“ but by this point, the men were starting to leave.

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Pointing his gun at the last person in the store, he yelled for the man to stop. Mike recalled:

โ€œWhen he turned around, I saw he had a handgun in his hand.โ€

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Mike didnโ€™t think: he shot the man in the shoulder. While his accomplices drove off, the man was left lying on the floor at the storeโ€™s entrance.

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Police arrived on the scene moments later to arrest the man. Heโ€™s now in custody at hospital, where heโ€™s receiving treatment for his shoulder, and probably his damaged pride.

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The ATF police are concerned that Mike may have been targeted, and they know the importance of locating the stolen guns.

Police officer Sarah Abel said:

โ€œThey are known to end up in hands of those who might commit violent crime.โ€

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Richardson police are still on the hunt for at least three other men who were involved in the incident.

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As for Mike, heโ€™s still getting over the incident, especially as heโ€™d had to use his gun against another person. He said:

โ€œIโ€™m sorry I had to shoot somebody, but better than plan B.โ€

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Plan B, according to Mike, was being shot himself. He only had one message to the men who robbed his store:

โ€œDonโ€™t come back. Iโ€™ve got more ammo.โ€

You can learn more about this story and watch an interview with Mike in the video below.

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