Bookstore manager armed with scissors cuts down robber

The manager of a Christian bookstore chased a would-be robber with a pair of scissors and cornered him until authorities arrived, Murfreesboro police said.

Tim Davis was working alone Saturday afternoon at his family-owned Salt and Pepper Christian Store when a robber showed him a note demanding money and claiming he had a gun hidden under a folded newspaper, according to police reports.

Davis said Monday he didn’t believe the robber had a gun because the newspaper was too thin.

“I am a peaceful man, but I am not passive,” Davis said. “I work way too hard for someone to take it from me.”

Instead of handing over the cash that was in the register, Davis said, “I don’t think so,” and grabbed a pair of scissors from under the counter.

“I’m showing him my weapon,” Davis said of the scissors.

Davis said that when the robber didn’t reveal a gun, he knew he was unarmed. Davis said he even considered stabbing the man with his scissors if he made an aggressive move but realized he might be arrested himself.

The robber, who remains unidentified because he is a suspect in other robberies, fled the store with Davis hot on his heels, scissors still in hand.

“The only thing I did wrong was run with a pair of scissors,” Davis said.

Davis cornered the robber behind a shopping center and called police on a cell phone, according to the police report.

“I did take a calculated risk,” Davis said. “I weighed the evidence. For most people, that’s probably not wise.”

Davis said that he was relieved to hear the sounds of the police officers’ guns being drawn on the robber as he held the man at bay.

“Click, click, it sounds like angels singing,” he said.