The manager of a Tallahassee, Florida, Academy Sports store was fired after subduing a gun thief who allegedly tried to steal a handgun.
The Tallahassee Democrat reports that the 32-year-old manager, Dean Crouch, “stopped Jason White from leaving the…store with a .40-caliber pistol from the firearms counter on June 29.”
White allegedly asked to look at a handgun then took off for the front door when it was handed to him. Crouch gave chase and tackled White, who also allegedly had “a stolen backpack, five boxes of ammunition and two magazines for the Glock.”
Police report that White admitted stealing the gun and allegedly said “I will steal again when I get out of jail.”
Tallahassee Police indicate that White had stolen two guns from Cash America Pawn just hours before entering the Academy store.
Academy fired Crouch this week. The company refused provide specifics on his firing but did say, “While the incident ended without injury, actions inconsistent with corporate policies were taken. We addressed the matter with the local store and individuals involved.”
Crouch’s attorney Ryan Hobbs said, “Academy has decided to, instead of treating him like the hero he is, they terminated his employment effective immediately because he put his hands on Mr. White.” Crouch is weighing the possibility of filing suit for “wrongful termination.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.