Man who helped stop AutoZone robbery speaks

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Steve Jefferson/Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - The man who helped two auto parts store employees foil a robbery is speaking about his actions.

Jerome Jorman found himself, in his words, in the right place at the right time Sunday afternoon, when an armed robber came into the AutoZone store on East 46th Street. The man, Michael Jones, was pretending to shop for brakes when he pulled a gun on a store employee.

"My thought was he is going to shoot this man, and if he does, he is going to shoot me," Jorman said in an exclusive interview with Eyewitness News. "I thought there was only two people in the store."

After getting help from a store manager, Jorman walked away from the front counter. Surveillance video of the store shows Jones pulling the gun out, and eventually being tackled by two employees, and Jorman joining in.

"I came up over the guy and stepped on his face to cover his eyes," Jorman said. "I did eight years in the military and it's a tactic often used."

In the midst of the struggle, Jorman picked up the gun to keep it away from Jones. During a 911 call, the operator asked about the robber and the gun.

Metro police arrested Jones for robbery.

Meanwhile, Jorman doesn't consider himself anywhere close to a hero. Instead, admits if not for his faith, he too would be in trouble.

"At one time, I was chemically depended and living the life of crime," Jorman said.

Jones goes to court for the first time tomorrow.