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Tim Sayers had been studying the activities of a few convenience stores just over the border in Texas.
His plan was simple: go in, hold them up, grab some cash, and scoot back to freedom in Oklahoma.
With a few people still adhering to optional mask protocols, he could wear a mask and get away with a few robberies before his luck ran out. He didn’t even need to rob more than one store on the same day. He could spread it out over a few weeks, just as long as each store yielded enough cash to live on. Based on his napkin calculations, he could score a couple hundred thousand – in tax-free unmarked cash in a couple of months.
Sayers never planned to use his weapon in any of the stores, but it just happened in his second store.
The clerk refused to open the drawer so Sayers fired a warning shot at the cigarette rack five feet away from the clerk.
Not taking chances now, the clerk opened and emptied his cash drawer. Before Sayers could shovel the money into his bag, another customer drew on Sayers and shot him in the upper arm after warning him to drop his weapon. Sayers fell to the ground.
As the customer stood over Sayers, the police showed up and barked orders for the customer to drop the gun and kneel on the floor with his hands in the air.
The customer complied, and was under arrest and read his rights.
With the customer’s hands cuffed, the police escorted him out the door and into a waiting squad car.
Within minutes of the police finding out what actually happened inside, Sayers was handcuffed, attended to by medical technicians, and placed in an ambulance.
The police let the customer go with their sincerest apologies. Because he had fired a weapon and wounded the suspect, the police took down his information and told him they’d be in touch.
Indeed, 63 days after everything had been sorted out, the State of Texas honored the customer for his heroism and bravery.
And the State began to feed and house Sayers for 12 years with the possibility of parole in six, just as he had planned if he were caught.
He just hadn’t planned on getting shot that day.
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The Holdup
We can't know what desperate people will do when pushed to survive--even plan and carry out criminal acts that are sure to get them convicted and sentenced to "day care by the state."