The State : Robber Death Held Justified

A truck driver has been cleared of charges in the slaying of a robber who pummeled him and his wife in Oakland. Melvin Gearhart, 48, told investigators that a man later identified as Danny B. Sanders, 36, jumped on the running board on the passenger side of his truck and began pounding on the window. When his wife rolled down the window, the man tried to enter the truck and then slapped her. The Gearharts rolled up the window, trapping the man. Gearhart then drove to a convenience store where he jumped from the cab and sought help. Gearhart ran back to the truck and tried to help his wife, but he was knocked to the ground. He then grabbed a pistol from the truck and shot Sanders who had a lengthy record of robbery arrests and convictions. The Alameda County district attorney ruled Sanders’ death justifiable. “I regret it,” Gearhart said. “It was the only way I could see of stopping him.”