Close call. (Exercising the Right).

Shortly after 1 a.m. on September 18th, four armed thugs approached a 25-year-old St. Louis, Missouri, man, who has requested anonymity. Outnumbered, the would-be victim initially did not resist, telling them that they could take whatever they wanted, including his car and a wallet that he tossed toward them.

The robbers were not pacified, however. Their intended victim told a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch later that day that he heard one of them, who was holding a shotgun, ask an accomplice, "Yo, what you want me to do with this guy?" The accomplice replied: kill him.

The victim told Post-Dispatch reporter Jeremy Kohler that he thought he had perhaps one second to live. "They wanted to murder me," recalled the "former college football linebacker," who weighs 245 pounds, is a "workout enthusiast," and "carries a weapon because he runs a liquor store with his father and often transports cash." In desperation, he suddenly reached out and grabbed the shotgun that was pointed at him, pushing the youth holding it into another thug who was also armed. The second man attempted to shoot, but his gun misfired.

As the victim, shotgun in hand, ran behind his car for protection, the miscreants yelled that there were no shells in the gun, but they were lying. When he fired three blasts, they turned and ran. Now in control of the situation, the erstwhile victim pulled his 9mm handgun and fired four additional shots, purposely aiming high to merely frighten (rather than wound or kill) the fleeing foursome. Jumping into a car that they had stolen earlier, the robbers sped away.

Hearing the commotion, a local resident called the St. Louis police and gave a description of the fleeing vehicle. Soon sighting it, officers chased it into Jefferson County, radioing ahead for help. Festus City police joined the pursuit, eventually tossing a strip of hollow spikes onto the street. The car's tires went flat, the vehicle slowed to a stop, and its occupants scattered. All were promptly apprehended. Bryon Jones, 26, and Branden Jones (no relation), 17, were charged with first-degree attempted robbery, armed criminal action, and felony resisting by flight. The Post-Dispatch was unable to determine the status of two minors involved.