PUBLISHED: 07:15 EDT, 2 August 2022 | UPDATED: 13:39 EDT, 2 August 2022
'He shot my arm off!' Robber armed with AR-15 flees California liquor store after 80-year-old owner blasts him with SHOTGUN
* Craig Cope, 80, a business owner in southern California defended his store with a shotgun early Sunday

* Cope had a heart attack because of the shock of the attack, but was able to fend off the suspects

* The would-be robbers approached Norco Market & Liquor in Norco, California, planning to rob the store

* Deputies identified three of the suspects as Justin Johnson, 22, Jamar Williams, 27, and Davon Broadus, 24

* The fourth suspect who was shot during the robbery is in critical but stable condition. He remains unnamed
By TOM BROWN FOR MAILONLINE and ANDREA CAVALLIER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

This is the incredible moment a robber armed with an AR-15 fled screaming from a California liquor store after the 80-year-old owner blasted him with his shotgun.

Craig Cope opened fire after the 23-year-old armed intruder entered his shop in Norco in the early morning hours on Sunday.

Four suspects armed with guns were waiting outside, planning to rob the store while wearing facial coverings, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

But security camera footage shows Cope reaching for his shotgun and firing at the first robber as he burst in.

The man screamed out after being hit in the shoulder and ran from the store.

'He shot my arm off! He shot my arm off!' the man can be heard shouting as he runs back to a black BMW SUV.

The four suspects were located a short time later at a local hospital where one of the suspects, a 23-year-old male, was suffering from a gunshot wound consistent with a shotgun blast, according to a Riverside County Sheriff's Department release. He remains hospitalized in critical, but stable condition.

The three other suspects were taken into police custody booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for robbery and conspiracy. They are being held on a $500,000 bail.

WATCH VIDEO
Video shows a 23-year-old male holding the rifle and creeping into Norco Market & Liquor in the 800 block of Sixth Street at 2:47am on Sunday

The man screams out as he's hit in the shoulder, fleeing the store and shouting: 'He shot my arm off! He shot my arm off!'

Craig Cope, 80, opened fire with a shotgun after a would-be armed robber burst in with an AR-15, hitting him in the arm and causing him to flee

Deputies identified the suspects as 22-year-old Inglewood resident Justin Johnson, 27-year-old Los Angeles resident Jamar Williams and 24-year-old Las Vegas resident Davon Broadus.

The 23-year-old man who was shot is in critical but stable condition. He remains unnamed.

Deputies responded to reports of an attempted armed robbery around 2:47 a.m. at the store in the 800 block of Sixth Street in Norco near San Bernardino.

Surveillance video revealed the suspects approached the business armed with long guns wearing facial coverings and hoods. As soon as they walked inside, guns pointed, the store's owner Craig Cope, fired a single shot from a shotgun, and the suspects fled the store,.

They jumped in a dark-colored BMW SUV, that had earlier been reported stolen. It was also found to contain numerous stolen firearms, deputies said.

Hitting the accelerator, the driver almost left one of the accomplices behind - having to stop so the last hooded assailant could jump into the vehicle.

Back inside the store, Cope suffered a heart attack from the shock of the incident and had to be rushed to hospital.

'He was on his toes, thank god,' said store employee Marnie Tapia, speaking with ABC7. 'He just prepared himself. He's always prepared as far as weapons go.'

Business owner Craig suffered a heart attack, having to be rushed to hospital after the shock of the attack

Hitting the accelerator, the driver almost leaves one of the accomplices behind - having to stop so the last hooded assailant can jump into the vehicle before they escape. The suspects are now in custody after police found them in hospital, identifying them from the gunshot wound

'In this case, a lawfully armed member of our community prevented a violent crime and ensured their own safety while being confronted with multiple armed suspect,' the sheriff's department said.

Cope will not face any charges unlike one New York City bodega worker who was charged with murder for fatally stabbing an attacker in self defense.

Public outage against DA Alvin Bragg's charges against Jose Alba grew to such a level that he gave into pressure and dropped them.

WATCH

Jose Alba (right) posed for a celebratory photo with Francisco Marte, President of the Bodega and Small Business Association of New York last month after DA Alvin Bragg dropped the murder charges against him

Bodega worker Jose Alba (right) was physically attacked by a customer before pulling out a knife and fatally stabbing the man. Charges against Alba have been dropped

WATCH

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11072609/Dramatic-moment-California-liquor-store-owner-blasts-rifle-toting-robber-shotgun.html