AutoZone Fires Worker Who Stopped Robbery

[Reverenddel]

AutoZone Fires Worker Who Stopped Robbery

Dec 4, 2012
By Todd Starnes

An AutoZone worker who stopped an armed robbery by retrieving a weapon from his truck said he was fired by the company for violating their gun policy.

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Devin McClean and his store manager were about to close the AutoZone in York County, Va. when a gunman barged into the store.

“He pulled a gun from his waist band and demanded me and my manager go back into the office,” McClean told Fox News.

At some point, McClean was left in a restroom while the gunman made the manager open the store safe. That’s when McClean, a 23-year-old Air Force veteran, bolted through a side door and ran to his truck.

He returned through the front door holding a Glock 40 – pointed directly at the masked robber.

“I told him to freeze and to drop his weapon,” McClean told Fox News.

Instead, the robber took off – last seen running down the street from the store.
“I watched him run down the street,” he said. “I came back inside and made sure my manager was okay and he called the police.”

The York County Sheriff’s Dept. believes the bandit is responsible for as many as 30 robberies across the region.

“One of the officers asked why I didn’t shoot the robber,” McClean said.

Sheriff J.D. Diggs told Fox News he considers McClean to be a hero.

“He did a very brave thing,” the sheriff said. “He put himself in jeopardy in an attempt to make sure his friend was safe. He did a very brave thing.”

The part-time worker’s manager was especially thankful and credited McClean with saving his life.

But two days after the robbery – and just a week before Thanksgiving – McClean was fired.

Television station WTKR reported that McClean violated corporate policy by leaving the store and returning with a weapon.

The station spoke to a representative from the company’s corporate office who said they had a “zero tolerance policy for employees having weapons inside the store.”

An AutoZone spokesman told Fox News they will not discuss the matter.

“It was a surprise to me,” McClean said. “I did the right thing. I saved the company $2,000. I saved one of their manager’s lives – and you’re letting me go? It was a slap in the face.”

McClean said the firing came at a difficult time. He’s about to be a first-time father.

“We’re having a little boy,” he said. “I remember when the guy came in with that gun. My initial thought was I want to make it home to my family. I want to have the opportunity to meet my son and for my son to meet his dad. And for someone to come in and shove a gun in your face?”

So why not just keep running? Why go back inside the store – and risk your own life?

“I regard them as my family,” McClean said of his co-workers. “You’re not going to leave your brother or sister behind.”

It’s a lesson he learned in the Air Force.

“Never leave a man behind,” he said. “I’m not going to leave my brother in a room with a guy with a gun – that’s threatening his life.”

In spite of losing his job, McClean said his actions would be the same if it happened again.

“I wouldn’t change anything,” he said.

The sheriff said he was disappointed to hear that McClean lost his job on account of stopping the robbery.

“That’s certainly unfortunate,” he said. “They should be doing something to reward that young man instead of firing him.”

Sheriff Diggs said AutoZone has also sent an unintended message to the community.

“The company has now sent a message to every would-be robber out there – ‘Hey we’re open for business and unarmed. Come on in and take our money,’” he said.

Meanwhile, the backlash against AutoZone is spreading. Customers have launched a boycott against the company on Facebook and a petition has been started urging them to rehire McClean.

“There’s a Pep Boys right around the corner,” one irate customer wrote on Facebook.

**** GUESS I"LL BE GOING TO REILLY'S AUTOPARTS ****

[FiremanBob]

Just emailed Autozone to tell them they are off my list of parts suppliers.

[misawa]

It's one thing to have a "no guns" policy. Misguided as it is, I can understand some business owner's knee-jerk reaction to implementing it.

However actually enforcing it without thought to the circumstances is just dumb. AutoZone deserves the public flogging they will shortly receive for this.

Oh - and their rewards program sucks. Not hurting my feelings to shop elsewhere.

[skeeterss0]

O'rileys has become my new autoparts store!!!

[VBshooter]

I guess AutoZone doesn't value their managers lives very much...The guy should be promoted for helping protect a life at the peril of his own.Never did like that store anyway..Easier to avoid now.

[dusterdude]

No one values their employees,its about making money for the shareholders

[Kreutz]

Dunno their gun stances but Advanced Auto is based in Roanoke VA; support a local biz.

[dusterdude]

Aap has the same "stance" as az does,not too sure about the getting fired part

[SHMIV]

Damn. I liked AutoZone, too. At least for the less important stuff. I already avoid Advance over their consistantly crap service.

Guess I'll have to spend more money at other parts places. Oh well.

[vaeevictiss]

All I wonder, in these cases, why didn't he just shoot the guy? Why give him the chance to give up? I've been told several times I'm heartless but the guy took that risk. I would feel super guilty if he ends up killing someone knowing I had the chance to end it. poop, just look what happened to Spiderman lol.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Snakester]

I owned Auto Zone Stock for a long time ...Great Stock , made a lot of $$'s...Sold all positions last week. I will not be Trading Again !

[Reverenddel]

Here's AutoZone's comment page on the web

https://www.autozone.com/autozone/conta ... 9&cmpid=cj

Here's their FaceBook page

https://www.facebook.com/autozone



You know... just in case ya' wanna let it be known.

[Greybeard]

THE PROTESTS

VCDL will hold a protest at 3 different Autozone locations in the next couple of weeks: Yorktown, Colonial Heights (regional manager's location), and Hopewell. VCDL will get some signs printed up for protesters to hold while standing in front of the stores. Our goal will be to inform the public about Autozone's shameful treatment of a hero, putting policy before the safety of customers and workers.

[OakRidgeStars]

More on the VCDL protest at Autozone locations:

http://vagunforum.net/vcdl-alerts/alert ... 15548.html

[dorminWS]

If I were close enough for him to get here, I'd bypass the normal screening and background and refernce checks, tell the HR gal to shut the F*k up, and give the boy a job today. Trouble is, it's a loooooong way from here to York County.

[Reverenddel]

You know Dorm? He may be willing to MOVE!

Doesn't hurt to ask.

[scott9050]

Devil's advocate here:

What if he fired, missed and hit a customer in the store?

Autozone would then be liable for the employees action.

I may not agree with it, but I understand it.

[dorminWS]

You know Dorm? He may be willing to MOVE!

Doesn't hurt to ask.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

That'd be up to him, and of course I'd stand by my statement if he did. But it would be a HUGE adjustment for him and his family. As you must know, Rev, there are immense cultural, economic and geographical differences between here and the Tidewater. It isn't unusual for people that aren't FROM here to be unhappy here. That's why I didn't suggest he move to begin with.

[dorminWS]

Devil's advocate here:

What if he fired, missed and hit a customer in the store?

Autozone would then be liable for the employees action.

I may not agree with it, but I understand it.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

What makes it indefensible is the "zero tolerance" aspect of it. Like any "zero tolerance" policy, it sets the stage for really boneheaded outcomes. If I were the HMFIC at a place where a no-weapons policy was mandated and this had happened, I'd have brought him into the office, patted him on the back and thanked him, told him he broke the rule about weapons and I was putting a warning letter in his file, and told him in the future he needed to always be DAMN sure he was gonna wind up as a hero because he could get fired next time. But better yet, the policy SHOULD prohibit firearms without permission of management. Then you could just wink at him, grant retroactive permission, and send him back to his job.

[sboyajian]

Eff.. I guess I need to start using PepBoys now. Now I'm angry about this for two reasons.. I hate PepBoys and I hate when people get fired for doing the right thing.