A 75-year-old gas station employee fought off an armed, would-be robber with a broomstick Wednesday morning in Cave Junction, the Josephine County Sheriff's Office reported.
Dan McLeod was opening the Cave Junction Chevron station, 409 South Redwood Highway, about 5:05 a.m., when a man in a black mask walked up behind him and demanded cash.
McLeod said he was scared half-to-death.
"All of a sudden there's this guy with a mask on telling me he wants all of our money," McLeod said. "At first I thought it was somebody from around here, playing a joke on me.
"Then he told me he was going to kill me."
But when the suspect reached into his pocket and pulled out a six-inch wrench -- "a dinky little thing" -- McLeod thought he might be able to take him.
He grabbed a broomstick handle and hit the man several times, backing him out of the station.
Ray Wood, who answered the phone at the gas station Thursday afternoon, said he's known McLeod for about six years.
"That's the oldest gentleman working here," said Wood, himself 68. "He's an old timer, and he's pretty salty."
"We've got these broom sticks, to get the tires off the top rack," Wood said. "I guess he saw that the (suspect's weapon) was pretty small and just let him have it."
McLeod, resting at home for his 5 a.m. shift Friday, said he wouldn't always play the hero when confronted by an armed robber. But in this case, the odds seemed to be in his favor.
"Most of them guys I think are scaredy-cats, or they wouldn't be trying to do something like that. It's stupid."
"If he had a gun it would have been a different story," he continued. "I'm pretty sure I would have given him the money."
The suspect, described as 20-25 years old, left the station on foot -- without any loot. McLeod told sheriff's investigators the man wore a black hooded sweatshirt, light-colored shorts and tennis shoes.
McLeod said that in the future he will keep the doors to the station locked until his coworker arrives at 5:45 a.m.
"It's my 10th year there, and I never had any problem," he said. "But this kind of made me wake up."
Anyone with information is asked to call the Josephine County Sheriff's Office tip line at 1-541-474-5160.
McLeod said he doesn't plan to take any days off, and wasn't offered any, even though he'll mark his 76th birthday Friday.
To celebrate, he'll be holding the yardage markers at the Illinois Valley High School football team's home game against Cascade Christian Friday afternoon .
"I love football," McLeod said.
75-year-old Cave Junction gas station employee fights off would-be robber with broomstick | OregonLive.com
somehow the cat thought of witches from DFO
since they fight with brooms
[video=youtube;lSvbExMMedY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSvbExMMedY[/video]