Results by Google
Home News 

Story

Caught On Video: Elderly Man Turns Table On Robbers

Posted: 4:54 pm EST December 5, 2006Updated: 5:30 pm EST December 5, 2006

Orlando police released new video Tuesday of when an ex-Marine turned the tables on some robbers. The 69-year-old recognized their gun as a fake and stopped them from robbing a Walgreens on North Lane in Orlando.

The Marine thought he was just in for a quick trip to the drug store, but he found himself in the middle of a robbery, a robbery he stopped.

Surveillance video shows the two men walk up to a Walgreens counter. They buy a few things and then, out come the gun and demands for cash. But Emmit Helmly's keen eye saw something the clerk didn't.

"My reaction was shoot, I knew it was a fake gun," Helmly said.

Helmly is an ex-Marine and the military principles of "duty, honor, country" came out. Video shows him grab the crooks and push them away from the counter.

"I saw what was gong on and I caught the guy in a bear hug," Helmly said.

The thugs made off, but not before getting a good beating from Helmly, who was only slightly injured. But the crooks may think again before trying to steal money from a store.

"I can't say I was brave. I can say it was stupid. But I can recognize that's not real," Helmly said.

Police were hoping that by releasing the video, somebody will call in a tip that'll help them catch the crooks.

More Headlines

Make WFTV Your Power On

Did you ever turn your television off at night and notice the next morning that your set comes on to a different channel? You can set your cable box so that your TV comes on to the station you want. It's easy! Full Story ››
Step-By-Step Text Instructions


County-By-County News

Strange News Photos

From brilliant to bizarre, our 99-photo slideshow captures a variety of strange news. Photos are added often. Take A Look!

Get Hyper-Local On WFTV.com

Visit our County-By-County section for the latest news headlines out of your county. » County-By-County

When you take videos or photos of Central Florida news or weather events, iWitness is your place to upload them. » iWitness

Visit your headquarters for county-by-county news and resources, and a place to share community videos and photos. » 9Central

Follow WFTV On Twitter

Want to know about the latest breaking news or "can't miss" stories? Then sign up to follow us on Twitter. Learn more here!
Facebook: Be Our Fan!
MySpace: Be Our Friend