Clerks may be armed - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Clerks may be armed

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By Stephanie Springer - bio | email
Henry Patel owns three convenience stores in Albany Henry Patel owns three convenience stores in Albany
Clerk Patrick Thurman Clerk Patrick Thurman

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ALBANY, GA (WALB) -

Criminals Beware, you may want to think twice before carrying a gun into Dixie Food Mart.

Employees hope criminals get the message, that you don't want to mess around with these guys.

Henry Patel owns three convenience stores in Albany, and says most of his store employees are armed at all times.

"We have an assault rifle, a 454 and 460 and at various times of the year we will display them. We also carry guns and were not afraid to use them. I'll have one on my side, and one in an area behind me where they can readily see," he said.

"In the nighttime all our employees are armed and we have the armed security."

He's been taught to cooperate in an armed robbery situation, but if it ever came down to it, he and his employees aren't afraid to take matters into their own hands. He's disappointed it's come to this point, but with the number of clerks killed in armed robberies, he has no other choice.

Patel says he's been a victim in an armed robbery once, and he refuses to be one again.

"Yeah six or seven years ago, someone put a gun on us and, we don't have any problem now." And they haven't experience an armed robbery since.

Clerk Patrick Thurman says he hasn't had to pull out his gun yet, but he will if he has to. "If it came down to me going home to my loved ones, then probably so."

If it came down to it, they're ready to fight back, There are certain things worth fighting for, and for these employees, it's their lives.

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