Plaid Pantry clerk fired for pulling gun on hatchet-wielding would-be bandit - OregonLive

Plaid Pantry clerk fired for pulling gun on hatchet-wielding would-be bandit - OregonLive

Plaid Pantry has fired a clerk in Clackamas County who pulled a gun on a would-be thief carrying a hatchet because he violated the store’s no-weapons policy, a company official said.

The company trains its employees not to confront robbers, Plaid Pantry CEO Jonathan Polonsky said in a statement after police last week released surveillance video of the robbery attempt.

“In the event a robbery does occur, the focus shifts entirely to non-resistance, cooperation, and violence avoidance for the safety of our employees and customers,” Polonsky said.

On April 28, a man was caught on surveillance video in an Oak Grove-area Plaid Pantry wearing a mask and walking into the store. The man got to the counter and pulled a hatchet from his pants. The store clerk pulled out a gun and called 911 while holding the man at gunpoint. The man then apologized, put down the hatchet and ran from the store, leaving the hatchet behind. Police said the clerk had a valid concealed handgun permit.

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office asked the public to help them identify the suspect, estimated to be in his early 20s and about 5-foot-5. He was wearing a dark-colored jacket with a hood, a dark green or olive ski mask, khaki pants and dark sneakers with white soles. A police dog searched for the suspect in the area near the store, but did not find him.

—Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

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