Virginia Civilian Defense League to Protest Auto Zone

[Karl/PA]

THE PROTESTS

VCDL will hold a protest at 3 different Autozone locations in the next couple of weeks: Yorktown, Colonial Heights (regional manager's location), and Hopewell. VCDL will get some signs printed up for protesters to hold while standing in front of the stores. Our goal will be to inform the public about Autozone's shameful treatment of a hero, putting policy before the safety of customers and workers.

[2ndAmendican]

What did Auto Zone do?? I haven't heard anything. What did I miss?

[j427x]

auto-zones parts suck---maybe someone got some china made brake parts and plowed into a semi?

[Karl/PA]

AutoZone Fires Worker Who Stopped Robbery

Dec 4, 2012
By Todd Starnes

An AutoZone worker who stopped an armed robbery by retrieving a weapon from his truck said he was fired by the company for violating their gun policy.

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Devin McClean and his store manager were about to close the AutoZone in York County, Va. when a gunman barged into the store.

“He pulled a gun from his waist band and demanded me and my manager go back into the office,” McClean told Fox News.

At some point, McClean was left in a restroom while the gunman made the manager open the store safe. That’s when McClean, a 23-year-old Air Force veteran, bolted through a side door and ran to his truck.

He returned through the front door holding a Glock 40 – pointed directly at the masked robber.

“I told him to freeze and to drop his weapon,” McClean told Fox News.

Instead, the robber took off – last seen running down the street from the store.
“I watched him run down the street,” he said. “I came back inside and made sure my manager was okay and he called the police.”

The York County Sheriff’s Dept. believes the bandit is responsible for as many as 30 robberies across the region.

“One of the officers asked why I didn’t shoot the robber,” McClean said.

Sheriff J.D. Diggs told Fox News he considers McClean to be a hero.

“He did a very brave thing,” the sheriff said. “He put himself in jeopardy in an attempt to make sure his friend was safe. He did a very brave thing.”

The part-time worker’s manager was especially thankful and credited McClean with saving his life.

But two days after the robbery – and just a week before Thanksgiving – McClean was fired.

Television station WTKR reported that McClean violated corporate policy by leaving the store and returning with a weapon.

The station spoke to a representative from the company’s corporate office who said they had a “zero tolerance policy for employees having weapons inside the store.”

An AutoZone spokesman told Fox News they will not discuss the matter.

“It was a surprise to me,” McClean said. “I did the right thing. I saved the company $2,000. I saved one of their manager’s lives – and you’re letting me go? It was a slap in the face.”

McClean said the firing came at a difficult time. He’s about to be a first-time father.

“We’re having a little boy,” he said. “I remember when the guy came in with that gun. My initial thought was I want to make it home to my family. I want to have the opportunity to meet my son and for my son to meet his dad. And for someone to come in and shove a gun in your face?”

So why not just keep running? Why go back inside the store – and risk your own life?

“I regard them as my family,” McClean said of his co-workers. “You’re not going to leave your brother or sister behind.”

It’s a lesson he learned in the Air Force.

“Never leave a man behind,” he said. “I’m not going to leave my brother in a room with a guy with a gun – that’s threatening his life.”

In spite of losing his job, McClean said his actions would be the same if it happened again.

“I wouldn’t change anything,” he said.

The sheriff said he was disappointed to hear that McClean lost his job on account of stopping the robbery.

“That’s certainly unfortunate,” he said. “They should be doing something to reward that young man instead of firing him.”

Sheriff Diggs said AutoZone has also sent an unintended message to the community.

“The company has now sent a message to every would-be robber out there – ‘Hey we’re open for business and unarmed. Come on in and take our money,’” he said.

Meanwhile, the backlash against AutoZone is spreading. Customers have launched a boycott against the company on Facebook and a petition has been started urging them to rehire McClean.

“There’s a Pep Boys right around the corner,” one irate customer wrote on Facebook.

[FyredUp]

Well, just another reason not to like AutoZone. I prefer O'Reilly's and a local business called Weaver Auto Parts anyways.

[Abukai08]

He was interviewed last night on Gretta Vansustren's show on Fox News Channel. He lives out in New Hampton, VA I believe is what he said. Fox News reached out to anybody in the area who was hiring to look into hiring him. Hopefully it works out and he get's an even better paying job.

This is a sad story really. Fire a guy when he's expecting a child and right before X-mas after he saved the life of his manager and saved the money in the safe for the company because it violates a policy. I definitely think some things could have been overlooked. I'm glad I support local businesses that sell auto parts anyway. Yeah they cost a little more, but I bet they would have promoted the guy for doing something like this.

[1biggun]

Bs. People meed to stand up an say enough of this crap. Some one needs to hire this Brave man. He could have ran away but instead risked his life to save a con worker.

[2ndAmendican]

What a P.O.S thing to do. Many years ago when I worked at a gas station, Amoco Oil had the same kind of policy. The franchisee/owner of my particular location did not enforce this rule however, and any of us who worked nights carried concealed on the premises. I never used AutoZone anyway, but it's just one more reason not to give them my money.

[1biggun]

There is no way id work a gas station, deliver pizza, work any store at night alone, with out protection.

some of the bars an restutrants here were getting hit buy smash an grap crooks late at night a friend was coming out of the basemtn after shutting ht eplace down an was confronted by a guy wh had just broke the glass door an was coming in fortunatlyu he took off. she would have had no chance if he had attacted.