Sam Amico
A 74-year-old store clerk who worked at a gas and convenience store said she was fired for defending herself from a knife-wielding robber.
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Mary Moreno had worked at the Westminster, Colo., Circle K for 16 years prior to the incident. She told CBS Colorado that when she explained to her boss that she had to fend off a robber, well, she was axed.
Moreno indicated a man entered the store during her night shift and initially wanted a pack of cigarettes, but then pulled out two hunting knives. He then came around the counter after demanding he give her the cigarettes.
She then shoved away his arm and ran off.
Former Circle-K Store Clerk Fired for Defending Herself During Robbery
“I was shaking so bad that I couldn’t hold myself still,” she said, via CBS Colorado. “I was just wanting to get him out of there.”
But her boss apparently didn’t believe the robber occurred as she described. This despite the fact the man was eventually arrested.
Her boss, who had watched the surveillance video, told Moreno he didn’t see the knife and insisted that Moreno apologize, she said. When she refused, she apologized.
“He took me in the office, and he said, well, I don’t see a knife, because he watched the video, I guess. And I said, ‘Well there was a knife,'” Moreno said.
She is now taking legal action against the store, which she said began to treat her poorly under new management.
“I’m not doing it for money. I’m doing it because of the way they treat their employees,” she said, per CBS Colorado.
Circle K has declined comment despite repeated attempts from multiple media outlets.
