A Leeds shop worker bravely tackled a gun-wielding robber as he threatened another employee.
In the space of around 20 minutes on July 19 last year, Marlon Stewart, 37, committed 13 crimes, West Yorkshire Police said. He started by buying a bottle of vodka, and then going to Chapel Allerton Park to threaten three men (all 19), showing them the handgun he had in his waistband and robbing two of their phones.
He then went into a Premier shop on Lidgett Lane at 8.06pm. There, he threatened the staff member at the counter with what looked like a handgun, forcing her to open the till.
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He also threatened a customer in the shop to make her hand over the keys to her car. The staff member managed to escape while he was distracted - but he managed to steal cash from the till and drive off in the customer's white Audi A1.
It was only minutes later when he arrived at the One Stop store in Chandos Gardens. There, again he threatened the employee behind the counter with his weapon.
Niall Stranix, 61, had been mopping the floor when Stewart came in, and decided to intervene when he saw a co-worker being threatened. He pounced on him from behind and grabbed him in a headlock.
Stewart hit him with a bottle and cut him, but Mr Stranix held on, in a struggle caught on the shop's CCTV. The gun started to break apart, and police said it's thought it was actually a plastic BB gun.
The struggle with Mr Stranix led to Stewart's face being shown on the shop's CCTV footage - enabling the police to later catch him. He ran from the scene, and the stolen Audi was reported as being driven dangerously on Roundhay Road just after - Stewart hit a barrier, ran red lights and swerved in and out of traffic.
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Stewart was quickly identified by police once the crimes were linked and once located, he was arrested on September 29. He was charged with four counts of robbery, one of attempted robbery; five counts of possession of a firearm while committing a robbery, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
Stewart pleaded guilty to the offences at Leeds Crown Court on October 28. He was sentenced on Monday (April 17) to ten years and four months behind bars, with an extended licence period of five years.
Detective Inspector Ryan Malyk, of Leeds District CID, said: “Stewart put all these victims through some really frightening experiences when he carried out these robberies over a very short space of time. He was clearly desperate and dangerous, and those who encountered him were put in genuine fear when he confronted them at gunpoint.
“While we always advise members of the public in such situations to think of their safety first, we must recognise the incredible bravery that Niall Stranix showed in making the decision to tackle him while he was threatening his female colleague. Despite not knowing if the gun he was holding was real or not, he showed tremendous courage in taking him on and it was his actions that directly led to Stewart’s face being captured on CCTV and him being identified as the suspect.
“We hope that the significant prison sentence that Stewart has received will provide some comfort to all the victims as well as some reassurance to the wider community to know that he is safely off the streets.”
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