Ocala robbery thwarted with baseball bat

OCALA, Fla. – At the Chevron gas station on East Silver Springs Boulevard in Ocala Thursday, a man tried to rob a gas station, only to be chased away by a baseball bat-wielding store clerk.

In the middle of the afternoon, a man strolled into the gas station holding a knife. At first he was calm, but soon he was slamming the knife down on the counter yelling "I need the money. Give me the money," as seen on surveillance camera footage.

The store owner, Honghoy Phok, turned around and reached for his secret weapon that he keeps within arm's reach—his baseball bat.

In what must have been quite a surprise to the robber, Phok begins waving the bat as if he was going to take a swing at the suspect. Putting his arms up to defend himself, the would-be thief realizes the hold-up was harder than he ever imagined. So instead, he zipped out the door and ran away.

Minutes later, an Ocala Police officer saw a man walking down the street who matched the suspect's description and was carrying a knife. After learning surveillance cameras captured him cowering from the baseball bat, Brent Williamson confessed to the crime.

Longtime customers are not surprised that the clerk would take matters into his own hands to defend his family business. The Phok family said they've had to use the bat several times to scare off potential robbers.


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