Around 9:30 p.m. last Saturday, Leo, the store manager of Big Discount Liquors in Maplewood, Minnesota, was preparing to close when a customer walked in. The man looked around the store before putting a bottle of liquor on the counter by the register and placing a realistic looking BB gun next to it. He told Leo to give him “everything” out of the register.
Leo attempted to comply, but asked the suspect to put away the gun because his eight-year-old daughter was behind the counter next to him. Apparently, Leo wasn’t quick enough and the man came behind the counter. That’s when he felt he needed to act to protect his daughter. He grabbed the suspect’s gun and punched him several times in the face.
Surveillance video of the incident shows the manager and the suspect wrestling on the ground when the little girl grabs a baseball bat and jumps into the fray, hitting the suspect several times before he runs away. Police caught up with the 37-year-old suspect and are now holding him on charges of first-degree attempted aggravated robbery. Leo didn’t know his daughter had tried to help until he later saw the video footage, but he expressed pride in her actions, adding, “She’s so strong.”