RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA — A jewelry store in Canyon Crest Town Center, Riverside, experienced a dramatic robbery on a Saturday morning around 11 a.m. Two masked robbers, wearing hoodies, entered Geneva Jewelry following a customer. They immediately started breaking display cases with hammers and stealing merchandise. Michaelangelo Torchia, an employee, described the event as terrifying. His father, working at the counter, responded by retrieving a firearm and firing shots into the floor, frightening the robbers into fleeing.
Witnesses reported that the suspects had been observing the area prior to the robbery. This wasn’t the first robbery experienced by Torchia’s father; in 1992, he was restrained to a chair during a theft. Despite the shock of the incident, Torchia expressed relief that no one was injured.
This incident marks the second smash-and-grab robbery in Riverside since New Year’s Eve. The Riverside Police Department is still investigating and searching for at least two suspects.
There are two main takeaways from this story in my world; carrying your firearm on your person to give you immediate access, and not firing warning shots. We’ve discussed both points in depth over the years, but they’ll unfortunately continue to come up. Having that quick access to your firearm can be the difference between life and death, and if you’re able to carry your firearm, you should be doing so.
Additionally, firing warning shots is typically frowned upon, as you’re deciding to use lethal force to stop a threat. Firing into the floor may scare them away, but in a self-defense situation, those rounds should be on target.
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