Manager fired after stopping a man stealing a firearm

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The manager of Tallahassee’s Academy Sports was fired Tuesday after tackling a suspect accused of stealing a handgun late last month. The suspect also allegedly threatened to shoot people. Dean Crouch, 32, was the store manager who stopped Jason White from leaving the Mahan Drive store with a .40-caliber pistol from the firearms counter on June 29. “Academy has decided to, instead of treating him like the hero he is, they terminated his employment effective immediately because he put his hands on Mr. White,” Crouch's attorney Ryan Hobbs said.

Just hours before he was taken into custody, White stole two handguns from Cash America Pawn on South Adams Street, according to Tallahassee Police. White asked to look at the handgun at the firearms counter. He was handed the gun, then ran toward the front door. Crouch, who court records say observed the transaction at the counter, and another employee tackled and subdued White at the exit doors and recovered the gun, a stolen backpack, five boxes of ammunition and two magazines for the Glock.

White was taken into the store’s office while police were en route. It was there that he admitted to stealing the gun and threatened to shoot people with it. Court records indicate those threats, but do not mention threats to kill police officers as Crouch’s attorney claims. White, according to court records, said he and his family were being threatened by an unknown person and he wanted the gun to “kill him." “He repeatedly said ‘I stole and I admit to it’ and ‘I will steal again when I get out of jail,’” officers wrote in their report.

Hobbs said his client is considering a lawsuit for wrongful termination. The way he sees it, Crouch may have saved lives by stopping White. “This is not something that happens for Mr. Crouch in his everyday life,” Hobbs said. “I think he was thinking there is a man running out of the store with a gun in his hand with his coworkers following from the firearm area screaming ‘Stop that man.’ Something had to be done and he was the one that was going to do it.” Academy Sports spokeswoman Elise Hasbrook said she could not comment on specific personnel matters or policies.

However, Crouch’s actions and his termination were handled in accordance with the Texas-based company’s policies. “While the incident ended without injury, actions inconsistent with corporate policies were taken,” she said. “We addressed the matter with the local store and individuals involved.” Crouch worked at the store for more than two years and is married with a family and has no way to support them. Hobbs said maybe the corporate policy should be revisited. “My instincts tell me they are concerned more about people like Mr. White suing them for being stopped in the course of a theft than they are about rewarding or acknowledging in a positive manner that Mr. Crouch may have saved lives.”
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/ ... 772900002/
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Manager fired after stopping a man stealing a firearm

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A common rule in retail is" be a good witness" Stopping a thief frequently ends in somebody injured. Cheaper to call the cops and write off the loss than to pay for legal bills and hospital or funeral expenses. The property isn't mine and I see no reason to fight for somebody else's factory made property-especially if they don't want me to and haven't set up a security system to prevent or stop the theft. When I was younger and in retail, I chased down a few thieves. It was exciting and fun. Now, it looks like a good way to get hurt. A good job for the stock boy or the assistant manager.
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Re: Manager fired after stopping a man stealing a firearm

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dougb wrote: Thu Jul 12, 2018 6:11 pm A common rule in retail is" be a good witness" Stopping a thief frequently ends in somebody injured. Cheaper to call the cops and write off the loss than to pay for legal bills and hospital or funeral expenses. The property isn't mine and I see no reason to fight for somebody else's factory made property-especially if they don't want me to and haven't set up a security system to prevent or stop the theft. When I was younger and in retail, I chased down a few thieves. It was exciting and fun. Now, it looks like a good way to get hurt. A good job for the stock boy or the assistant manager.
This.

When I was in my teens and worked retail I was explicitly told not to physically intervene in any sort of robbery. It all comes down to liability. If you get hurt trying to stop the robbery the company is going to have to pay out big. If you hurt someone else and they sue its the company that pays out big, even if they were stealing, and even more if they weren't stealing and you took it upon yourself to be Barney Fife.

Re: Manager fired after stopping a man stealing a firearm

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Yeah, I don't see rent-a-cops risking their life at $15/hr to chase down thieves... especially ones who steal .40cal Glocks (w Ammo!).

I applaud the manager who did reflecting the seriousness of a stolen gun in general society. That was above and beyond the call of duty. Academy sucks...
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Manager fired after stopping a man stealing a firearm

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offensivename wrote: Thu Jul 12, 2018 6:43 pm
dougb wrote: Thu Jul 12, 2018 6:11 pm A common rule in retail is" be a good witness" Stopping a thief frequently ends in somebody injured. Cheaper to call the cops and write off the loss than to pay for legal bills and hospital or funeral expenses. The property isn't mine and I see no reason to fight for somebody else's factory made property-especially if they don't want me to and haven't set up a security system to prevent or stop the theft. When I was younger and in retail, I chased down a few thieves. It was exciting and fun. Now, it looks like a good way to get hurt. A good job for the stock boy or the assistant manager.
This.

When I was in my teens and worked retail I was explicitly told not to physically intervene in any sort of robbery. It all comes down to liability. If you get hurt trying to stop the robbery the company is going to have to pay out big. If you hurt someone else and they sue its the company that pays out big, even if they were stealing, and even more if they weren't stealing and you took it upon yourself to be Barney Fife.
This should be clearly spelled out and signed-off-upon by managers and employees alike, and most likely was. Thus corporate can avoid any liability costs when someone twists an ankle or breaks a wrist trying to physically restrain a thief. There's no need to fire the guy to make an example of him. If they really felt pressed, they could have left it at the statement that they are happy nobody was injured but do not condone or advise physical intervention in theft.

Re: Manager fired after stopping a man stealing a firearm

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Having a policy doesn't mean that all staff have been trained in how to implement it, employees may have many interpretations of a new policy and managers might not be the most knowledgeable source for their questions. I'm a big believer in training where employees can ask questions and work through scenarios. In general it's cheaper to let someone steal the item, report it to the police and write it off, but with firearms there is more liability involved with the potential of serious injury and death. An alternative would be an area where potential buyers would have to be buzzed in and out to be able to examine firearms. If the manager who was fired files a lawsuit, a jury will be looking at all these things.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Manager fired after stopping a man stealing a firearm

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Agreed, stealing a gun is quite different than shoplifting. Different set of rules should apply for the increased need for security. Short of creating a cage around the gun section at your local sporting good store, I really wonder what a more attractive alternative would be.

Of course, actual gun stores have armed salespersons and some even employ buzzed-entry gates.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

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