Missouri store owner saves teen being chased by armed assailants

ST. LOUIS - Some people are calling a Missouri store owner a guardian angel after he saved a teenager being chased by four people, one carrying a hand gun.

Operations Manager and Crown Wash Express Store owner Jay Johnson said he is counting his blessings after a very scary situation Friday.

Surveillance footage shows the split-second decision Johnson made in the doorway of his business.

He said he was standing at the front door when he noticed five teens running toward his store.

“I could not tell if they were just running normal, just until they got halfway across the lot,” Johnson said.

Johnson noticed one teen was being chased by four other teens and knew he needed to step in.

“The gentleman got closer to the front door, he looked at me debating if he wanted to run in the store or run and try and get away. I held the door open and let him in and lock the door from the other four guys that were chasing him. I was thinking, I have my own son and I hate to see something happen to him,” Johnson said.

Once Johnson reviewed the video, he noticed one of the teens chasing the boy had a gun in his hand and his finger on the trigger. Despite this discovery, Johnson said he wouldn't change what he did in that moment.

“I did not see the gun, but my decision was I had to stand firm, that I could not buckled with my decision. If I would have let them in the store, they would have done whatever they wanted to do, so I had to block that doorway," he said. "I just really did what any father would do. I was not looking to be a hero. I really was hoping to save someone life and that day I saved more than one life: the guy with the gun and the gentleman they were chasing.”