A store owner in Tacoma took the defense of his shop into his own hands earlier this month, using a machete to fight off a would-be robber.
The incident occurred on Feb. 5, in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood when 71-year-old Naif Qatamin, the owner of Salena One Market, had a robber carrying “a small knife” enter his shop, KIRO 7 reported.
Qatamin told the media outlet that the man had attempted to rob his cash register, so he pulled out a machete, spooking the robber who quickly fled the store with Qatamin in pursuit.
On Feb. 6, the Tacoma Police Department found the suspect, and Qatamin shared that he was booked and released that same day.
After being released by the police, Qatamin says the suspect returned again, threatening to rob and kill the store owner.
“I said, aren’t you the same guy who tried to rob me? He said yes!” Qatamin said.
During their second interaction, Qatamin said he didn’t need to pull out his large knife, instead opting to push the man out of the store.
“He stood by the door, and I said, okay, you have to leave now, ‘boom,’ I hit him right here, he fell, and those guys ran out, and they kept him down until the police came again,” Qatamin said.
The Tacoma Police Department confirmed that the suspect was arrested and booked into the Pierce County Jail where he was charged with felony harassment and first-degree robbery.