How (not) to rob a liquor store

Originally Posted by Washington Post

GUNMAN IGNITES FREDERICK INFERNO

A gunman entered a liquor store in Frederick yesterday, shot at police, locked himself in the store during a 30-minute standoff and ignited a fire that engulfed and gutted a two-story shopping plaza along one of the Western Maryland city's major commercial corridors, police said.

James Douglas, 29, of Frederick walked into Jim's Liquors at Antietam Village Center about 12:30 p.m., showed the owner a handgun and told him, "Get out," Frederick Police Lt. Thomas Chase said. Police said the store's owner, whose name they would not release, called Douglas a frequent customer and knew him by a nickname, "Menace."

Nobody else was in the store, Chase said, and the owner left to call police. When two officers pulled up, Douglas fired at least one shot at them through the store's glass door. Police then surrounded the shopping plaza and ordered nearby businesses to lock their doors and windows.

Alone in the store, Douglas called friends and relatives on his cellphone. Police crisis management officers reached him on the line, Chase said.

"While we were negotiating with him, he set the store on fire," Chase said.

Authorities had not located Douglas last night, and police said it is likely that he died in the fire. Nobody else was injured, Chase said.

Douglas apparently lit boxes of liquor to ignite the blaze, which spread quickly and destroyed all 14 stores in the center, Chase said. "It's completely gutted," he said.

The 1970s-era shopping center, in the 1500 block of Opossumtown Pike, is at the heart of Frederick's commercial corridor. Roads around the center were closed for nearly four hours, snarling holiday traffic.

Businesses destroyed in the blaze included a branch of Frederick County Bank, a Dunkin' Donuts, a Quiznos sandwich shop, a medical supply store, a hair salon and a dry cleaner. A restaurant on the bottom floor, Latino Grill, was going to open next week, but it was destroyed.

Police have not determined why Douglas targeted the liquor store but said there are no confirmed past grudges with the owner. Authorities characterized the incident as an attempted armed robbery.

"Anytime a guy walks into a liquor store with a gun, it would draw us to conclude that he's robbing the place," Chase said.

Complete story here. Ten bucks says this plot device shows up on Prison Break at some point.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Ha! what a dumbass...I wonder if he got away...although probably not. Sounds like the fire took everything. Well, sucks for the store owner, that's for sure.

Quote:

"Anytime a guy walks into a liquor store with a gun, it would draw us to conclude that he's robbing the place," Chase said.

Wow. I wonder how many years of Private Investigator school he had to take to learn that one.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

That was smart... Setting fire in a liquor store. :|

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Burning yourself to death is not the smartest thing he could have done... Hello Darwin Award.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Uh, it's pretty evident to me that the guy was disturbed, and probably just suicidal. He told the owner to leave for a reason. If he wanted to rob the place, he wouldn't want the owner leaving to call the police.

As a "frequent customer," maybe it was some sort of personal symbolism. Using his vice to fuel his demise. Or something.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Quote:

"Anytime a guy walks into a liquor store with a gun, it would draw us to conclude that he's robbing the place," Chase said.

CAPTAIN OBVIOUS TO THE RESCUE!

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Opossumtown?

FELIPE NO

Like Skexis said, I'd guess that the guy was suicidal to begin with. If he actually wanted to rob the store then he wouldn't have told the clerk (who he apparently knew) to leave, and then just barricade himself inside while calling family and friends on a cellphone. You don't set fire to a liquor store while trapped inside of it thinking that you'll survive.

I'm more curious about whether he was counting on police evacuating everyone else from the shopping center in time, or wanted to take a few people with him.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by galen

Opossumtown?

Could be faking his death, too. A police negotiation gives you some good witnesses. The question then is what he's running from. Of course, without a body, they might not decide to just let it be.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Wait, when did Skexis come back? =o Or have I just missed him this whole time?

Anyway, I feel worst for the guy who was going to open that Latino Grill. Hopefully they had active insurance on it before it got off the ground, and hopefully it wasn't someone's dream to open that restaurant, 'cuz that would suck.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I think the Latino Grill is a chain, because if I'm not mistaken, one just opened up in Gaithersburg a few months ago. They haven't found a body yet, but they're planning on searching the rubble today in the daylight.

How ya doing, buddy?

Suicidal definately, though no body being found yet does make me wonder....He's probably under a pile of rubble being charred to ash though. Sad. =\

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

wow. smart, man. really smart. there is a website somewhere of real news like this, where people do stupid and albeit hilarious things. I have no idea where it's at though. :-(

I was speaking idiomatically.