The victim of an armed robbery in Ohio last month fought back against his attackers, wrestling their guns away and pistol-whipping them before police arrived. As reported by Cleveland.com:.
Police told the outlet that the shooter, 25-year-old Belonte Barnes of Cleveland Heights, approached a 29-year-old shopper at the BP convenience store on Monticello Boulevard in South Euclid on the afternoon of July 6.
Police said the three began fighting on the floor and the victim grabbed the gun from Barnes and struck both men with the handgun.
According to a police report, Cleveland.com reported that Barnes pointed a gun at a man’s stomach at a beverage cooler, took the victim’s keys from his pocket and headed for the store’s entrance.
But police say the victim chased Barnes and tried to grab the gun, resulting in a scuffle that was caught on camera.
Police said a second suspect, 35-year-old Leroy Buchanan, entered the store and pushed the victim against a vending machine drink dispenser while Barnes pushed the victim into the coffee machine and then spilled a pot of hot coffee on the victim, Cleveland.com reported.
Police said the three began fighting on the floor and the victim grabbed the gun from Barnes and struck both men with the handgun.
Buchanan then got up, cornered the victim and began punching him, Cleveland.com reported, citing authorities.
A third suspect, Leroy’s brother, 33-year-old Sean Buchanan, then entered the store, pushed the victim against a drink dispenser and struck the victim in the head and body, the media reported, citing police.
Barnes then picked up a glass coffee pot and smashed it over the victim’s head, shattering it, police told Cleveland.com.
Authorities said the Buchanans continued to punch the victim after he fell to the floor, the media reported.
After police arrived, the victim told officers he had never seen his assailant before, Cleveland.com reported, citing the police report. The victim also told officers that after grabbing Barnes’ gun, he realized it was unloaded and could not fire, the outlet reported.
“The gun he used didn’t even have a magazine in it,” the victim told police, Cleveland.com reported, citing the report.
Police said the victim suffered injuries to the face and eye and coffee burns to his shoulder, according to the media outlet.
According to Cleveland.com, Barnes was also charged with multiple felonies, including robbery and assault, but failed to appear for his arraignment in late July.
The Buchanans, of South Euclid, were arrested shortly after the incident, according to Cleveland.com.
Police said suspect Leroy Buchanan had stitches on his head and told officers he was trying to protect himself and his brother, the outlet reported.
The Buchanan brothers were quickly charged with multiple felonies, including robbery and assault, and both brothers pleaded not guilty and were being held on $100,000 bail, Cleveland.com reported.
Cuyahoga County District Judge Richard Bell placed the Buchanans under house arrest with monitoring devices in July of last year, the outlet reported, adding that Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer had reached out to their attorneys for comment.
Burns was also charged with multiple felonies, including robbery and assault, but failed to appear at his arraignment in late July, according to Cleveland.com, which added that authorities had issued a warrant for his arrest.
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