Video Shows Richmond Store Clerk Disarm Gunman Who Then Gets Body-Slammed
RICHMOND (CBS SF) - A gunman who tried to rob a convenience store at a Richmond gas station got more than he bargained for as two workers disarmed him and slammed him to the ground, in an incident captured on video.
The man walked into the Arco AM/PM store on the 12000 block of San Pablo Ave. at around 1:40 a.m. Wednesday, pointed a revolver at the store clerk and demanded cash, the clerk said.
The clerk spoke to KPIX 5 but asked to not be identified.
At first, the clerk said he thought nothing of the man in dark clothing who walked into the store, but then "I saw a gun in my face, and then I knew it was on," he said.
After the gunman, identified as 50-year-old Michael Corbin, pointed the gun at his face, the clerk made a snap decision.
"I noticed the gun wasn't at my head no more. It was going across my shoulder. That's when I just grabbed his wrist, took it down and twisted the gun out of his hand."
As for what the clerk was thinking at the time, he said "It's just adrenaline. You don't know the feeling until it's happening."
The clerk then yelled out for help to a longtime friend who was working outside at the gas station.
The friend ran inside the store and sprung into action. "I grabbed him from the back, picked him up in a, uh, little wrestling move I know, took him over …bam! That was a wrap," he said.
The co-worker held him down until police arrived about five minutes later.
Richmond Police Sgt. Nicole Abetkov said the suspect Corbin is a local transient known to frequent both Richmond and Pinole.
Abetkov said that while the clerk's quick action led to Corbin's arrest, the risk move could have led to a much different outcome.
"It was fortunate that it ended the way that it did and we got someone who obviously was going to be an issue for the public in custody," she said.
Corbin was booked into county jail on suspicion of attempted armed robbery and weapons charges.
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