493. Convenience store clerk in Ormond Beach draws own knife to scare off knife-wielding robber

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Ormond Bech store robber locator / Headline Surfer Headliner Surfer locator map / The Lil' Champ Store, 2460 Ocean Shore Blvd., in Ormond Beach, was the scene of a robbery attempt thwarted by the store clerk who met potentially deadly force with with that of his own four years ago.

ORMOND BEACH -- A would-be robber armed with a knife picked on the wrong store clerk who pulled out a knife of his own and called the criminal's bluff.

The event occurred at 5:54 a.m. back on Jan. 19, 2009, at the Lil' Champ Food Store, 2460 Ocean Shore Blvd., Ormond Beach. It comes in at No. 493 in Headline Surfer's fifth anniversary countdown of the top 500 stories.

Here is a synopsis of what happened as reported by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office: The suspect came into the store brandishing a knife and demanding money. But he was startled when the clerk lunged at him with a knife of his own and the suspect fled empty handed.

The store clerk was not injured, but it's not known if the suspect was cut by the clerk, said Brandon Haught, Sheriff's spokesman.

The then-53-year-old clerk told responding deputies that he was alone in the store restocking cigarettes when he saw what he said was suspicious activity going on outside. It looked like a man was covering his face with something. The clerk steeled himself for a possible confrontation by pulling out a pocketknife and having it ready.

The then-53-year-old clerk told responding deputies that he was alone in the store restocking cigarettes when he saw what he said was suspicious activity going on outside. It looked like a man was covering his face with something. The clerk steeled himself for a possible confrontation by pulling out a pocketknife and having it ready.

The would-be robber then walked into the store with his face covered and immediately jumped up onto the counter, brandishing a knife and demanding money. He swung the knife at the clerk, but the clerk then lunged back with his own knife in self-defense. The clerk had struck at his assailant's chest area, but it's unknown if the pocketknife penetrated his jacket.

"This startled the suspect, causing him to jump back off the counter and run toward the door," Haught said, describing him as white, in his early 20s, 5 feet 10 and stocky, wearing a dark-colored jacket and dark, long shorts. "Before leaving, though, he grabbed a nearby bottle of suntan lotion and threw it at the clerk. Finally, he fled the store empty handed."

Award-winning Headline Surfer Editor/Publisher Henry Frederick is counting down his ranking of the Top 500 Stories throughout Volusia County, as part of the fifth anniversary celebration of the 24/7 Internet newspaper launched April 7, 2008.