Unarmed Starbucks customer thwarts robbery attempt by knife-wielding man

Unarmed Starbucks customer thwarts robbery attempt by knife-wielding man

Cregg Jerri, 58, saw a robbery attempt in progress, picked up a chair, and slammed it against the back of the suspect.  From there, the men engaged in a scuffle that resulted in Jerri successfully disarming the would-be robber, Ryan Michael Florez, who ran away.

When he was later apprehended by police, Florez claimed that he had been the victim of a robbery.

The Fresno Bee reports:

A wild fight between a Fresno Starbucks customer and a knife-wielding robber was caught on surveillance video, showing how a 58-year-old man who police Chief Jerry Dyer called a “courageous hero” put his own life at risk to thwart the crime.

Both hero Cregg Jerri, 58, and suspect Ryan Michael Florez, 30, were stabbed during the fight Thursday that lasted for about a minute. Florez got away and later tried to tell police he was himself a victim of a robbery.

. . . . The confrontation happened just before 5 p.m. Thursday. Florez entered the Starbucks at Herndon Avenue and Golden State Boulevard in northwest Fresno carrying a yellow bag, armed with a big knife and a replica handgun while wearing a blue “Transformers” mask. He went to the counter and demanded money, Dyer said.

Jerri, 58, was seated at a table using a tablet. Soon after Florez made his demands, Jerri grabbed a chair and slammed it on Florez’s back twice.

A fight ensued and eventually Florez stabbed Jerri in the neck. Jerri got hold of Florez’s knife and stabbed Florez in the face and torso.

Florez was able to get away and drove a truck to Dakota and Fruit avenues, where he abandoned it and ran toward a canal. Passersby noticed him bloodied and called police for help. Florez told officers he had fallen victim to a robbery.

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