Men pin tire shop robber to ground

NORCROSS, Ga. — Employees of a Norcross tire shop told Channel 2 Action News an alleged thief chose the wrong business to mess with.

Gwinnett County police said the man was trying to steal cash from their register when workers at R & F Tire Shop on Buford Highway decided to take matters into their own hands.

Abdul Bashri told Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh he saw a man behind the counter emptying the register Tuesday afternoon he confronted him.

"We start fighting from here. He hit me twice in my face," Bashri said.

Police identified the alleged robber as Terrance Tamplin, 52.

The tire shop employees said he was bigger and stronger than all of them and determined to run before the cops arrived.

'He put the cashier man down and he tried to hit him so hard, so we jump on him," said Jasim Alkhafaji.

Seeing his coworker on the ground, Alkhafaji was the next to jump in.

"With one hand, he just drove me off," Alkhafaji said.

They said Tamplin dragged them out of the shop and onto the ground. Two more men joined the scuffle pinning Tamplin down. A nearby woman called police.

"The whole time he's begging, "Let me go, let me go. I will give you all your money. I can't afford go to the jail for all my life,'" Bashri said.

"We tell him, 'No, you came to the wrong place,'" Alkhafaji said.

When Gwinnett County police arrived, they arrested Tamplin on charges of robbery and criminal damage to property.

The workers had just minor injuries. The shop didn't lose any money.

"Why did you do this if you don't want to go to jail?" Alkahfaji said.

WSBTV