Robbery suspect plans to sue good Samaritan who stopped him
A man who risked his life to stop an armed suspect from robbing a California Starbucks may face legal problems because of his heroic actions.
In July 2017, Fresno Police reported that Ryan Flores, 30, attempted to rob one of the popular franchise's locations while wearing an Optimus Prime mask and threatening the cashier with a gun and a knife.
Witnessing the robbery in progress, fellow customer Cregg Jerri, 58, picked up a chair and slammed it over Flores' head to try and stop him.
A violent fight then ensued, where investigators say Jerri was stabbed in the neck by Flores before he managed to wrestle the knife away and stab the would-be robber multiple times.
"There’s probably not very many people in America who would do what Cregg Jerri did last night," Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said at the time. "It was incredibly heroic and the way most people would think that they would respond but may not have the courage to respond."
"It's not something we recommend, in this case it was a good outcome. Nobody died as a result of this incident, but they very well could have," he added.
Unfortunately, it seems that Jerri's good deed may not go unpunished.
Flores' mother, Pamela Chimienti, says she believes Jerri used excessive force when attempting to stop her son and that her son plans to sue over his injuries, according to KSEE.
"He has 17 total stab wounds, lacerations, and defensive wounds," Chimienti told the station. "The guy, in my opinion, went from a good Samaritan to a vigilante. Stabbing somebody that many times, it doesn't take that many stab wounds to get somebody to succumb to you."
However, Police Chief Dyer says that Flores' lawsuit is completely ridiculous.
"To say that Cregg Jerri is going to be sued for intervening in an armed robbery and being stabbed in the neck. That is ludicrous!" he told KSEE.
Currently, Jerri does not face any criminal charges. Flores remains in jail facing a felony attempted robbery charge.
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