Standing outside his St. Petersburg home, Robert VanConnet said his gut reaction during a confrontation with a robber got him fired from his job at 7-Eleven.
Surveillance video shows a man throwing a cup of hot coffee at VanConnet's 7-Eleven coworker. Then police say the suspect, while holding a knife, tried to reach into the cash register.
"He looked all crazy like he was up all night, probably on drugs," said VanConnet. "So I pulled out my gun."
The move worked and the would be robber bolted, leaving VanConnet and the other cashier shaken but safe. VanConnet tells us he knew having a weapon at work was against company policy. After all, he's been robbed before.
"You get some real winners out there," said VanConnet. "The cops don't even like it, they said they wouldn't do it."
But VanConett says the company didn't see it that way. A couple days later he says his boss at the 7-Eleven actually fired him, saying the higher ups wouldn't make an exception.
"I was a little pissed off," said VanConnet. "But I figured it was going to happen, after the third time, it's time to find something different anyway."
While St. Police say VanConnet did nothing illegal, a 7-Eleven spokesperson said employees are trained to be non confrontational. We're told VanConnet even signed an agreement when he was hired.
Now, the former cashier is left looking for a new job.
"Daytime, regular hours so I can have a life again," said VanConnet.
As for the would-be robber, police say he is still at large.