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AutoZone Fires Worker Who Stopped Robbery
Posted in Top Stories | 0 comments

Dec 4, 2012
By Todd Starnes

An AutoZone worker who stopped an armed robbery by retrieving a weapon from his truck said he was fired by the company for violating their gun policy.

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Devin McLean and his store manager were about to close the AutoZone in York County, Va. when a gunman barged into the store.

“He pulled a gun from his waist band and demanded me and my manager go back into the office,” McLean told Fox News.

At some point, McLean was left in a restroom while the gunman made the manager open the store safe. That’s when McLean, a 23-year-old Air Force veteran, bolted through a side door and ran to his truck.

He returned through the front door holding a Glock 40 – pointed directly at the masked robber.

“I told him to freeze and to drop his weapon,” McLean told Fox News.

Instead, the robber took off – last seen running down the street from the store.
“I watched him run down the street,” he said. “I came back inside and made sure my manager was okay and he called the police.”

The York County Sheriff’s Dept. believes the bandit is responsible for as many as 30 robberies across the region.

“One of the officers asked why I didn’t shoot the robber,” McLean said.

Sheriff J.D. Diggs told Fox News he considers McLean to be a hero.

“He did a very brave thing,” the sheriff said. “He put himself in jeopardy in an attempt to make sure his friend was safe. He did a very brave thing.”

The part-time worker’s manager was especially thankful and credited McLean with saving his life.

But two days after the robbery – and just a week before Thanksgiving – McLean was fired.

Television station WTKR reported that McLean violated corporate policy by leaving the store and returning with a weapon.

The station spoke to a representative from the company’s corporate office who said they had a “zero tolerance policy for employees having weapons inside the store.”

An AutoZone spokesman told Fox News they will not discuss the matter.

“It was a surprise to me,” McLean said. “I did the right thing. I saved the company $2,000. I saved one of their manager’s lives – and you’re letting me go? It was a slap in the face.”

McLean said the firing came at a difficult time. He’s about to be a first-time father.

“We’re having a little boy,” he said. “I remember when the guy came in with that gun. My initial thought was I want to make it home to my family. I want to have the opportunity to meet my son and for my son to meet his dad. And for someone to come in and shove a gun in your face?”

So why not just keep running? Why go back inside the store – and risk your own life?

“I regard them as my family,” McLean said of his co-workers. “You’re not going to leave your brother or sister behind.”

It’s a lesson he learned in the Air Force.

“Never leave a man behind,” he said. “I’m not going to leave my brother in a room with a guy with a gun – that’s threatening his life.”

In spite of losing his job, McLean said his actions would be the same if it happened again.

“I wouldn’t change anything,” he said.

The sheriff said he was disappointed to hear that McLean lost his job on account of stopping the robbery.

“That’s certainly unfortunate,” he said. “They should be doing something to reward that young man instead of firing him.”

Sheriff Diggs said AutoZone has also sent an unintended message to the community.

“The company has now sent a message to every would-be robber out there – ‘Hey we’re open for business and unarmed. Come on in and take our money,’” he said.

Meanwhile, the backlash against AutoZone is spreading. Cam Edwards, of NRA News, called AutoZone’s decision an “injustice.”

“It may have been corporate policy to fire Devin McLean, but it’s also an injustice. He came to the aid of a fellow employee threatened by an armed robber and was canned. They should have named him employee of the year.”

He said the nation needs more people like McLean.

“He had the chance to run away but instead he chose to arm himself with his legally owned gun and save the life of his supervisor,” Edwards told Fox News. “Wouldn’t we all like to work with someone like Devin?”

Customers have launched a boycott against the company on Facebook and a petition has been started urging them to rehire McLean.

“There’s a Pep Boys right around the corner,” one irate customer wrote on Facebook.
 
There was a thread on this started a few days ago too.

When I read the story I went to the Autozone site and left them an message saying I wouldn't be shopping there anymore.
 
Wow what a crock they just put ALL their employees lives in danger. I hope the go bankrupt for this. WAY wrong message to send ppl that DO the RIGHT thing. Or maybe I am wrong here, thats right what was I thinking? He should have just ran away, got in his truck and went home. Should haved looked out for himself and the future of HIS REAL Family. Oh wait they would have fired him for walking out on the job. According to Autozone he should have just layed down and SLAIN
 
Maybe he can go around the corner and get a job at that Pep Boys! That is lame that he got fired for that, but it's a sticky situation where he did violate corprate policy. Although I think they should change their zero tolerance guidelines for cases like this. He wasn't carrying inside the store, afterall, and he came to the rescue of his boss. My guess is the company would rather lose the money in the safe than risk a firefight and all that entails. Still didn't do anything to deserve getting fired though. One of the other companies around there should snap him up as soon as possible to show support for what he did and grab a little bit of good publicity for themselves at the same time!
 
Shop at Shuck Oreillys they price match anyways you can call around get a cheap quote from the local made in china surpluss parts store aka cost less (for Vancouver folks) and Shucks will price amtch it. GOOD parts CHEAP price plus Shucks has AWESOME return policy!

No I am not affiliatted with Shucks they are just my Favorite Auto parts store. I love feeling like I got a good deal while getting QUALITY parts for my trucks.
 
Everyone should just email them like "deen ad" and tell them they lost your business, enough ppl do it they will realize the error of their ways. Sucks tho cause it was after all COPORATE "Company Policy" Goes to show Corporations dont give a dam about the little guy not one of them would have shed a tear had that manager as well as this young man and soon to be father had been MURDERED for NOT being ARMED.
 
My problem with this is that He came back to save his boss, he did not even shot the bad guy, when he left the store, he did not know if his boss was going to get shot and that is why he came back, my hat to him, he show his bravery by going back to the store when he had a chance of running away. I know is grey area, but he potencialy saved a life.
 
It's cheaper to just give the money to the street thugs (and hope they don't shoot their employees) than it is to give it to the robbers in suits if someone gets shot with an employees weapon. The effect is more robberies and possibly more lives lost in the process.

Crime pays, on the streets and off them. Tort reform.
 
it's a sticky situation where he did violate corprate policy. Although I think they should change their zero tolerance guidelines for cases like this. He wasn't carrying inside the store, afterall, and he came to the rescue of his boss.
Easy solution-- change the corporate policy.

My guess is the company would rather lose the money in the safe than risk a firefight and all that entails.
That's based on the naive and incorrect assumption that if you give the crook what they're asking for (money) that they won't kill you anyway.
 
Corporations are entitled to their policies, however, wee are allowed to share what we think (this case the policy is not acceptable to me)

I sent a note, here is the link to share your thoughts:

<broken link removed>
 
I wnt to auto zones facebook page and left a note,many others have as well. everyone who has fb,pls go to their page and let them know that their policy was stupidly enforced in this instance,and that ur moey will be spent elsewhere.
 
Easy solution-- change the corporate policy.


That's based on the naive and incorrect assumption that if you give the crook what they're asking for (money) that they won't kill you anyway.

Not naive, just statistics. I've read many articles about bank robberies over the years, and I don't recall ever reading one where the robbers shot the employees after getting what they wanted. I can't say that I disagree with what Autozone did. Everything worked out fine this time, but it could've been a totally different outcome. If you are going to stop shopping at stores because of their policies regarding employees and handguns, you're going to have a very, very short list.
 
Not naive, just statistics. I've read many articles about bank robberies over the years[/QUOTE
You are trying to compare apples and oragnes. Store robbies often result in higher numbers of murders then bank robberies.

Which only supports what Im saying. Many convenience stores are family owned and operated. These are the type of businesses/companies where you wont see any policies prohibiting firearms. These guys are risking their lives, the lives of their customers, and possibly their businesses (after lawsuits) for maybe a few hundred bucks. My guess is these murders are mostly from family owned businesses and not coporate-owned convenience stores where employees are prohibited to carry handguns. There's just too much risk involved for corporations to allow minimum wage employees to carry. These employees dont go through any firearms training whatsoever. Ive owned a business before and would never take such a risk.

You've been to Autozones and other similar stores before. Do you really want some of these guys making critical decisions with guns in their hands? I can't even trust them to find the right part I need sometimes. What's next? Not going to McDonald's because employees can't carry McGlocks?
 
Not naive, just statistics. I've read many articles about bank robberies over the years, and I don't recall ever reading one where the robbers shot the employees after getting what they wanted.

Randal Smith is currently on death row in Oregon for killing a 40 year old bank teller in Sherwood in 1990. Maybe it doesn't happen often, but it does happen.
Kudos to McLean for doing the right thing. Autozone's choice to fire him, my choice to spend my dollars elsewhere and to let them know why.
 

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