FRESNO, Calif. – A man police call a Good Samaritan may face a lawsuit after injuring the alleged robber he thwarted, reports CBS affiliate KGPE.
In July, Fresno Police say 30-year old Ryan Flores used a gun and tried to rob a Starbucks. Cregg Jerri, 58, stepped in to stop the crime, and the two got into a fight. Both men were hurt, but the Flores family said their son suffered 17 stab and slash wounds and plans on suing Jerri for excessive force.
Flores is currently in jail facing a felony attempted robbery charge. His mother, Pamela Chimienti, said the family does not condone what he allegedly did, but she said Flores should not have been attacked the way he was.
Surveillance video from the Starbucks shows a man wearing a Transformers mask pull out a gun, a knife, and a bag, and demand money from the barista. Investigators have identified the suspect as Flores. In the video, Jerri is seen coming from behind Flores and hitting him with a chair. A fight ensues and investigators said Jerri was stabbed in the neck during the struggle, but managed to wrestle away the knife and stab Flores several times.
Chief Jerry Dyer calls Jerri a hero. But Chimienti said her son is a victim too.
“He has 17 total stab wounds, lacerations, and defensive wounds,” said Chimienti.
Chimienti said Jerri used excessive force when trying to stop her son from allegedly robbing the Starbucks.
“The guy, in my opinion, went from a Good Samaritan to a vigilante,” Chimienti said. “Stabbing somebody that many times, it doesn’t take that many stab wounds to get somebody to succumb to you.”
Now, Chimienti said her son plans on filing a lawsuit against Jerri for that alleged excessive force.
Dyer said, “To say that Cregg Jerri is going to be sued for intervening in an armed robbery and being stabbed in the neck. That is ludicrous!”
Dyer says Jerri feared for his life, and said that’s apparent in the video. Jerri does not face any criminal charges.
