Police: Students hold off robber with guns, sword

[QuietDan]

Police: Students hold off robber with guns, sword

MURFREESBORO — It was a scary night for a college student who was being robbed at gunpoint, until his quick-thinking roommate helped turn the tables. While the pair waited for police to arrive, they held a suspect down with guns and a samurai sword, according to police.

Tyler Michaels, 19, of Wenlon Drive in Murfreesboro stepped outside his apartment to smoke a cigarette around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night when he was approached by a man he didn’t know, Michaels said.

“He came up to me and had a blunt (marijuana cigarette), and wanted to light it up with my lighter,†Michaels said. “He asked me where he could buy some weed, and I said ‘I don’t know.’â€

Michaels said he got an uneasy feeling and tried to make his way back inside when the man, identified as Dedrick Gaines, 18, of Fox Croft Drive in Murfreesboro, told him to empty his pockets.

“I said, ‘Hold on, I’ll go get it from my apartment,’ and he said, ‘Don’t play me, I’ll kill you,’†Michaels said.

Gaines forced his way inside the apartment. Michaels went to his bedroom and gave Gaines $20, but he still wasn’t satisfied.

“I took the money and handed it to him, and he said, ‘I’m not leaving with that,’†Michaels said.

Michaels said he was looking for anything in his bedroom to hit the suspect with.

“Right when I saw his hands (move away from the gun) I just reacted,†Michaels said. “I grabbed him and slammed him against the wall, and then slung him to the floor.â€

The MTSU student said the two began to fight in the off-campus apartment. His room is still a mess.

“He was hitting me and everything,†Michaels said. “I’m not going to lie; I took a beating in order to get that gun.â€

At first, two of his roommates, who were in another bedroom, thought he was being his usual self and joking around. They quickly realized he was in trouble.

“I said, ‘He’s got a gun!’†Michaels said. “Andrew (Perez) saw that he had hit me in the eye, and I was bleeding and he knew it was for real.â€

Perez hit the robber over the head with the wooden sheath from a samurai sword and broke it.

“I then picked up a sword,†Perez said. “It’s pretty intimidating. I would be scared of it, and that’s when he (Gaines) calmed down.â€

Another roommate dialed 911 while Michaels held his gun and the suspect’s gun on him.

“At this point he’s saying, ‘Don’t shoot me; don’t shoot me,’†Michaels said.

Perez stood close by with the sword.

“And he was saying, ‘Don’t stab me; don’t stab me,’†Michaels said.

At one point during the confrontation the suspect managed to get away. He attempted to run out of the bedroom when Perez tripped him. By that time Murfreesboro police were coming through the front door.

Police said they don’t recommend victims fighting back.

“The gun was stolen out of Memphis. It was obvious that he (Gaines) had no regard for human life, and it could have ended very differently for these college students,†said Sgt. Kyle Evans, Murfreesboro police spokesman.

Michaels suffered two black eyes and had to get a few stitches over his left eyebrow.

Gaines is facing a list of charges including aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, aggravated assault, simple assault, possession of stolen property, and possession of a weapon in the commission of a felony crime.

http://www.dnj.com/a...|text|FRONTPAGE

Edited September 28, 2012 by QuietDan

[piercedan]

"Police said they don’t recommend victims fighting back."

So we're supposed to just stand there and take it? Not if I have any chance at all. What do you call a person without a gun? Victim.

[Spots]

Not fighting back my ass. They did the right thing, and I hope the scumbag stays in jail awhile this time

[JWC]

The next paragraph pretty much negates the line against fighting back don't it? Or are we just supposed to hope that an assailant has regard for human life?

[piercedan]

The next paragraph pretty much negates the line against fighting back don't it? Or are we just supposed to hope that an assailant has regard for human life?

Exactly. We are supposed to count on the good graces of a POS like that guy?

[dats82]

Don't you all know that the police are here to protect us? That is why we shouldn't fight back, they will save us...

[UncleJak]

I like police, but they are "response" to crimes like this. Action beats reaction! That punk is lucky he got a bunch of college kids with knives, swords, and sticks. Had it been at my house, the results would have been different.

[peejman]

Don't fight back my arse...

I'm not sure how it happened officer, but he fell down the stairs 5 times right before you got here....

[Guest 6.8 AR]

"Police said they don’t recommend victims fighting back."

So we're supposed to just stand there and take it? Not if I have any chance at all. What do you call a person without a gun? Victim.

I imagine the cops have to say something like that. I'm glad the students fought back, though. A good news story! The students did the right thing. Edited September 28, 2012 by 6.8 AR

[gjohnsoniv]

Yeah not going to stand there and take a beating. Especially not when help is at least 5 minutes away.

[QuietDan]

I like police, but they are "response" to crimes like this. Action beats reaction! That punk is lucky he got a bunch of college kids with knives, swords, and sticks. Had it been at my house, the results would have been different.

The perp was lucky he wasn't stabbed and shot . . . and shot again. . . . and his corpse kicked around the room . . .

[Sam1]

"Police said they don’t recommend victims fighting back."

So we're supposed to just stand there and take it? Not if I have any chance at all. What do you call a person without a gun? Victim.

Until 911 dispatch gets a teleportation machine and can zap a SWAT team over, there will be fighting shooting when someone threatens us.

[jtmaze]

Don't fight back my arse...

I'm not sure how it happened officer, but he fell down the stairs 5 times right before you got here....

If he falls down the stairs at my house, it will be obvious why. He could not stand up due to fluid loss.

JTM

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited September 29, 2012 by jtmaze

[dieewigeteufel]

Don't you all know that the police are here to protect us? That is why we shouldn't fight back, they will save us...

I know you're being sarcastic, and it's pretty sad that the Supreme Court actually ruled that the police have no duty to protect us. No offense to police, I personally know some great ones. I'm just tired of people that think we shouldn't own guns just because we have police. I get that argument a lot.

Edited September 29, 2012 by dieewigeteufel

[Seabeejason]

Don't fight back? That's pretty damn funny. If some piece of scum forces their way into my home, they'll be trying to run through the walls to get back out. I have never met someone that could out run bullets though.