A would-be thief’s jewelry robbery plan at a Nebraska store Saturday night was thwarted when the owner, a dangerous U.S. military veteran, forced him out of the store at gunpoint.
“I usually have my firearm hanging on my hip no matter how many hours have passed,” Garrett Peddicord said. told KETV.
“It’s one of those keys, one wallet, one firearm.”
Peddicord was burning oil in the middle of the night behind Sidronie Jewelers in Omaha when he noticed a commotion on the surveillance screen.
Thrilling footage shows the robber, dressed head to toe in black, throwing a stone through a shop window and through broken glass, hoping to find himself alone inside the jewellery.
At that moment, Peddicord bursts into the showroom loudly with his gun drawn and catches the thief standing over a case containing his most valuable items.
Caught literally in the act, the jewel thief was “almost comically holding his tool over the glass,” Peddicord recalled. The hilarious moment was captured on security camera footage.
“Hey, Mom!” Pedicold yelled, drawing the man’s eyes to the muzzle of the gun, a sight so frightening that it made him back away from the broken window in panic.
Although Pedicold was proud of being able to defend himself and his livelihood, he was disappointed that he had to use his own weapon.
“The way I use it is the same as any other tool here,” the goldsmith told the TV station, pointing to a bunch of pliers, cutters, drills and other items.
“They all serve a purpose. But this is the one tool I hope I never have to use.”
The business owner, who spent three years deployed to Afghanistan, said his military training came in handy during the incident.
“I thank my lucky stars that I have put a lot of thought, time, and repetitive training and practice into how to carry a firearm responsibly,” Peddicord said.
Omaha police could not immediately confirm whether the would-be jewelry thief had been captured.
