Nicholas Brown and Markeil Hayes, two California parolees, clearly did not give up their criminal lifestyle after being released on parole for past offences. Rather, the parolees were caught on tape attempting an armed heist. Sadly for them, when they drew a pistol on a gathering of people in a Los Angeles parking lot shortly after 7 p.m. on a Monday evening, things didn’t go as planned.
A silver Dodge Avenger is seen pulling up toward a guy and two ladies standing in the parking lot between Melrose Avena and Vista Street in footage taken by Los Angeles police detectives from a nearby security camera. Two males, subsequently named as Brown and Hayes, exit from the vehicle shortly after coming up to the small gathering of individuals.
Following an exchange of words, at least one of the guys who exited the car drew a pistol on the man in the group, implying an intended armed robbery. Sadly for the robbery suspect and his accomplice, they were about to get a lot more than they bargained for. The women begin to leave after seeing the revolver, but the man in the small group, visible wearing a blue tank top and with a beige shopping bag, rapidly makes Brown and Hayes realise they made a terrible decision.
Words were allegedly exchanged, and the victim eventually pulls a weapon, reportedly to protect himself and others in his group from the would-be theft suspects, according to a news statement from the Los Angeles Police Department. The victim fired his firearm at the suspects, and then all parties fled the scene.
The unidentified would-be victim draws his own handgun and fires at the two intruders, presumably to defend himself and others in his group from the would-be robbery suspects. The man drops his shopping bag and turns to escape in the opposite way after shooting at least four bullets at the suspects.
Everybody in the parking lot is shown running on foot after the shots were fired, as well as the unsuccessful thieves’ apparent getaway driver, who accelerates away without them as the two assailants scatter as well. But, things would not go as planned for the would-be thieves.
Nicholas Brown, 22, and Markeil Hayes, 28, were captured and detained for attempted theft a short time later, according to cops. Both of the accused, both of whom were on parole at the time of the event, sustained non-life threatening gunshot wounds. Brown was allegedly wounded in the upper left thigh, while Hayes was hit in the right calf.
The attack came at a time when gunshots in Los Angeles were on the rise, with shooting victims increasing by 43.2%. Furthermore, homicides were estimated to be up 25%, with South LA reporting a 50% rise in killings. Detectives of the Los Angeles Police Department stated that they are aggressively tackling an increase in violent crime in the Melrose neighbourhood over the past year and are investigating all leads connected in this and other incidents.
Certainly, there appears to be an alarming rate in brazen broad-daylight crimes of all types around the country. When this pair of robbers were shot in the legs by their intended victim, they learned a valuable lesson: never overlook your would-be victim’s capacity to protect oneself.
Nicholas Brown and Markeil Hayes discovered the hard way that the best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is to own one yourself – a privilege that many Americans exercise, particularly in times of rising crime. They also taught all the rest of us a great lesson: Be prepared to protect oneself, and there’s no better way to do so than by using one’s Second Amendment rights.
