Pepper Spray Saves the Day!

A violent attempted robbery occurred at Laundry King in North Hollywood on Wednesday afternoon. The incident left the owner’s wife injured and demonstrates the effectiveness of pepper spray as a personal protection tool.

According to ABC 7 Eyewitness News, surveillance video shows a masked man entering the laundromat in broad daylight. He confronted employees about the safe. Owner Vardan Kostanyan said the suspect demanded keys to the safe. Employees told the man that they didn’t have the keys. Kostanyan’s wife heard the commotion and stepped out of the back room to investigate. She used a cart to shield herself and the workers from the attacker. The suspect became increasingly aggressive. As the man tried to get around the cart, the wife fell and injured her knee. At that point, an employee pepper-sprayed the suspect, causing him to quickly back away and flee. Police arrested the subject nearby. This same laundromat was targeted before. About a year ago, two armed men robbed the business. That time the robbers also demanded the safe’s keys. When the owner’s wife didn’t comply, they hit her with a gun.

This story is a good case study demonstrating the importance of having a personal protection tool available to use when needed. In this case, several employees were being threatened by an aggressive attacker. The episode came to a quick end once the employee unleashed a stream of pepper spray in the attacker’s face.