A would-be armed robber who stuck up a Milwaukee barber shop on Friday received more than a haircut when an armed patron pulled out his own gun and fatally shot the criminal.
“He asked some questions about how much a haircut costs, then went into the bathroom to put his mask on and get his gun ready or whatever,” a man identified as Ty, the owner of Level Up Barber Shop and Auto Body Repair, told WISN.
“The robber took his eye off the guy that he originally robbed first. I guess he didn’t check him good enough because he had a gun on him,” Ty explained to WTMJ.
According to police, while the man was frisking other customers, the customer pulled out his gun and shot and killed the armed thief.
“One of the customers acted in self-defense,” Ty told WISN. “He had his (concealed-carry permit), a registered firearm and unfortunately killed the robber.”
Ty said he carries a gun himself due to the high level of crime in Milwaukee.
“The crime rate is so high. It’s like nobody wants to work for an honest living anymore,” he said.
Milwaukee has been the scene of a number of incidents involving armed citizens forced to defend themselves against armed assailants.
In one incident which occurred last July, an attempted car-jacking went south for two teenagers after their intended victim, a nurse, pulled a gun out of her gym bag and opened fire, injuring one of the teens and sending the other running for the hills. (RELATED: Bad Ass Nurse Shoots Carjacker, Breaks Up Criminal Ring)
The assailants in that case were found to have been tied to a string of arm robberies and car thefts.
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke has been a proponent of citizens arming themselves for protection from crime.
“You can beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide under the bed, or you can fight back,” Clarke said in a radio ad released in 2013. “Consider taking a certified safety course in handling a firearm so you can defend yourself until we get there.”
WATCH: