BOOM: Robber Attempts to Use a Knife to Rob a Store, But Fortunately the Clerk Had a Handgun

BPD Detectives have obtained an Aggravated Robbery warrant for William Coleman, a 62 year old Beaumont resident (pictured below). Coleman is currently admitted to the hospital for injuries sustained when he committed an aggravated robbery at the Everest Food Mart last night (see original press release below). His bond was set at $250,000 and he is in custody at the hospital. Once released from the hospital, he will be transported to the Jefferson County Jail and booked in on the warrant. The investigation is on-going.

On Friday, July 22, 2022 at 11:34 p.m. Beaumont Police responded to 2810 Eastex Freeway (Everest Food Mart) in reference to a robbery in progress. Dispatch advised that the store clerk had called 911 and stated that a man was robbing the store with a knife. While officers were in route, the clerk advised that she had shot the suspect. Officers arrived on scene and located the victim (clerk) and the robbery suspect inside the store. Preliminary investigation revealed that during the robbery the suspect entered the store, displayed a knife and physically attacked the clerk prior to her discharging her firearm. The victim sustained several minor injuries during the incident. The suspect was admitted to the hospital with serious injuries, however charges are expected. 

The lesson from the story is clear: the old saying that God created all men equal but it’s Samuel Colt that made them so is as true now as ever. Thanks to her firearm, the female clerk was able to fend off her male attacker and keep herself safe despite his predations. Such could easily not have been the case were she unarmed or dependent upon a bladed weapon for her safety.