73-year-old Albert Marcu showed he had a keen eye for danger and a way of keeping his calm in high-risk situations. From surveillance cameras in the Estates Consignments on Contra Costa Boulevard in Pleasant Hill, a group ran in the doors, with Marcu stepping into the frame.
According to Marcu, a lady who had walked into the store somewhat shortly before the group stormed the door may have been a scout. Seen blocking a security guard from closing the buzzer-controlled door, they quickly closed in and entered. Ready to smash and grab as much as they could, one of the would-be assailants was armed with a sledgehammer.
Pulling out his .38 pistol, through quickly changed their minds. “I showed them my gun, and I told them to stop it, I have a gun…If they threaten my life or the life of my employees, I’ll use the gun, hundred percent.” Marcu’s efforts led to the group quickly bailing out of the establishment, and tripping over each other doing so.
As the group made a mad dash for the door, one of them even tripped over a chair. Unfortunately for them, local law enforcement was already on the scene. One of their Infinity Q50 vehicles, one black and one white, had been reported as being stolen, and plate readers had dispatched offers in response. Despite this, they were still able to escape capture.
Refusing to be another victim, Marcu has seen the crime from Oakland spread out to the 34,000 resident Pleasant Hill area. For him, this crime has simply become a case of enough is enough. A common problem around the neighborhood is these robberies, and he was unwilling to become yet another statistic.
Speaking with KTVU-TV, he had a simple message for them and other residents. “I didn’t want to shoot anybody, but I have to make a statement. Too many bad things have happened. Stores get robbed left and right. I have a message for all business owners, to take example and fight for themselves, because if you don’t fight for yourself, nobody will.”
Becoming more common across the US, many shopkeepers are simply tired of law enforcement doing nothing about it. With various levels of liberals in government who refuse to do anything but ticket and release these criminals, they are proving to be a perfect litmus test for how society breaks down without proper law and order.
Carefully casing a business like this and closing in on what looks to be a soft target is a horrible mistake in many cases. What these brazen criminals seem to forget, is that some of these shop owners once came from the same rough and tumble backgrounds the criminals are from. They learned those tricks and aren’t going to fall for the same old gimmicks.
Looking at the footage a few things are clear:
Marcu was ready for action, and quick to draw. With the criminals on the run, he quite frankly should have fired his pistol. Drawing and holding it like this gives them a chance to respond. As they ran into a dead end, he had an opportunity to hold them at gunpoint, but never ordered them to freeze. By not firing and giving them time, he has provided a glimpse into how easy of a target his business is. Especially since the security guard didn’t prevent them from storming inside or keep them there for cops to capture.
