Permit holder protects himself from Armed Carjacker

The Memphis Commercial Appeal has the story here (emphasis added):

A man buying gas in South Memphis early today surprised an armed carjacker by pulling a gun and firing at least two shots at him.

The carjacker ran away from Haile’s BP, 563 E. Mallory, leaving behind a gold Acura that police said had been carjacked earlier.

“He tried to hijack me and rob me,” said Charles Todd, 64, who had arrived at the station just before 6 a.m. to fill a gas can. “I had to defend myself. He had a rifle.”

Shortly before 8 a.m., Todd sat quietly by his black Toyota Tacoma, a lawn mower in the bed, as police investigated the scene. Customers came and went, filling their cars with gas and buying cigarettes and snacks, despite the police cars lining the parking lot

A clerk at the BP, Berkhanu Fekadu, 38, was inside the store when the shooting occurred.

“I heard the sound of guns, somebody shooting,” he said. “I just heard, ‘Boom! Boom!’”

Fekadu ran outside in time to see the carjacker running away as Todd hurried to ask Fekadu to call police.

Security video from the store shows the carjacker pulling the gun from the Acura, then confronting Todd at the gas pumps.

Todd takes cover behind the pumps as he fires at a dodging suspect, who then runs out of the frame after he’s had enough.

Police found no blood at the scene and didn’t believe the carjacker was hit by the shots. Officers searched the area nearby but found no sign of the suspect.

Todd has a permit to carry the gun, police said.

The BP’s owner, Tsegaye Haile, 42, took the incident in stride, saying he’s gotten used to the unusual at the store at East Mallory and Lauderdale.

“This is a hard corner,” he said.

Thanks to Will Brantley for sending me this link.