Victim To Gunman: 'Jesus Has Something Way Better For You'

Store Employee Talks Man Out Of Robbery

POSTED: Thursday, July 29, 2010
UPDATED: 6:15 pm EDT July 29, 2010

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. -- A cell phone store employee talked a man out of robbing the store Friday by talking to him about Jesus, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.

BSO said a man went into the MetroPCS store at 1543 S. Cypress Road at 10 a.m. Friday, pretending he wanted to buy a cell phone.

The man talked pleasantly to 20-year-old Nayara Goncalves, the only employee in the store, before pulling a gun and demanding cash from the register, police said.

Goncalves remained calm and started talking to the man about what he was doing. BSO released the surveillance video, which captured the conversation.

"I'm Christian," Goncalves said.

"So am I, and I actually really hate doing this," the gunman said. "I'm embarrassed to have to do this, and I have no choice."

"You don't have to do this," Goncalves said.

"Talk about making it harder," the gunman said.

"Jesus has got something way better for you, for everyone that's out there. I'm not blaming you. I'm not judging. I don't know what you're going through, but all of us are going through a hard time right now, a very hard time right now," Goncalves said.

"That's why I refuse to do anything to anybody else," the gunman said. "I've never done this before."

Goncalves spoke to the gunman for about five minutes, even offering to help him get a job so he would not have to steal.

"I have a job," the gunman said.

"You do? Then why are you doing this?" Goncalves said.

"Because I'm going to be evicted if I don't come up with $300," the gunman said.

After Goncalves talked to the man, he left without harming her or taking anything, police said.

"I'm sorry. I understand if you still have to call the police," the gunman said as he left.

Goncalves did call police a few minutes after the man left. She told Local 10 that her faith helped prevent the robbery.

"I'm very Christian and I go to church a lot, so I just feel like I want to tell everybody about Jesus," Goncalves said.

She said she does not believe the man was a bad person, just desperate.

BSO said the would-be robber was a white man with a mustache in his late 30s to mid-40s who was about 5 feet 9 inches tall.

From: http://www.justnews.com/news/24438749/detail.html#