The 17-year-old Thornton is the gun-wielding man pictured in this photo, according to authorities. Photo Courtesy of NBC WRDW
The 17-year-old Thornton is the gun-wielding man pictured in this photo, according to authorities. Photo Courtesy of NBC WRDW
BURKE COUNTY, Ga. (Diya TV) — An armed robber who tried to hold up a convenience store was met with greater force by the store’s clerk. After the young man came after the store clerk with a gun, she returned fired with a hammer, and chased him out the door.
Christian Dakota Thornton, 17, is facing charges of criminal attempt armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during a crime. Thornton is the gun-wielding man displayed in the above photo, according to police. The video shows the store clerk and part-owner, Bhumika Patel, slapping his hands, hitting him over the head with the register drawer and chasing him out of the store with a hammer.
Thornton’s mugshot.
“It was an easy, normal day,” Patel said. She was working alone because her husband and business partner was out of town.
She noticed Thornton outside, soliciting deliverymen for spare change, and was immediately suspicious of the juvenile. However, she rang up his soda when he came to the register. Just then, Thornton pulled out a piece — “I opened my register, and he showed me his gun.” Patel said. “He says ‘get me all the money’ or else I’ll shoot you, I said, ‘If you want to shoot it, go ahead and shoot it. Who’s stopping you?'”
As she rung up his Mountain Dew, the registered opened, and Patel seized the opportunity to try and slap the gun out of his hand.
Thornton proceeds to grab the cash tray out the register and Patel grabs it from him and starts to hit him on head, with it.
With no cash, and a beating, Thornton ran away while Patel followed, hammer in hand. Due to his face being uncovered in the CCTV, he was identified and arrested. He will need to look for legal help from someone like these philadelphia criminal lawyers if he is going to get his charges reduced.
