Unarmed Guard Pursues Supermarket Robbers

An unarmed security guard at a Chatsworth shopping center took it personally when two gunmen robbed a Ralphs supermarket.

The 25-year-old guard, Said Miss, 25, pointed out that he knows all the cashiers and managers by name. “The people that work there are like my family,” he said. “I was upset that they were robbing the place because I know all the employees.”

So the slender guard jumped into his pickup truck and chased the pair through the neighborhood Thursday night, a wild pursuit that ended when the robbers whipped their Cadillac around on a dead-end street and rammed into his truck.

Police said the men, about 18 and 25 years old, bashed the pickup twice and then slammed into a minivan, injuring three people before they fled on foot.

Bob Macias, owner of a diner in Chatsworth Plaza on Devonshire Street, called Miss a hero whose quick thinking might have put an end to a rash of robberies around the center.

“I think he’s put these guys out of business,” Macias said.

Police Sgt. Larry Taylor wasn’t so sure about the hero part.

“He’s unarmed and they were armed,” the sergeant said. “It’s a good idea to be a good witness and not be a hero on something like this.”

Miss said he wasn’t sure how he would manage to replace his truck, saying he had only liability insurance.

“I’m hoping for a miracle. I’m hoping they [the robbers] have insurance,” he said.

Miss, who borrowed his employer’s car to get to work Friday, said he has no regrets. “It will be worth it if they catch these guys,” he said.