An 8-year-old girl with a baseball bat has become the unlikely hero, stepping up to thwart an armed robber at a Minnesota liquor store.
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The girl’s dad, Leo, recalled the terrifying ordeal.
“He put the gun on the table, he asked me to give him all the money and everything in the register, I told him, ‘Yes — I’ll give you everything,’” Leo told CBS News
As the store clerk hurried to grab the cash, the suspect, dressed in an Amazon uniform, reportedly attempted to rush behind the counter where the young customer was standing.
Surveillance footage showed the father swiftly punching Morrell and tackling him to the ground before the girl stepped up to the batter’s plate.
The clip reveals her picking up a bat and relentlessly striking the suspect while her father attempted to restrain Morrell.
The Father Of The Girl Who Beat a Robber with a Bat at a Liquor Store is ‘So Proud’
The astonished father revealed that he had no idea his daughter had entered the scene until he reviewed the surveillance footage afterward.
“I’m so proud of her, she’s so strong,” Leo beamed.
“That day, I just wanted to cry. When I saw the video, I didn’t expect she’d do that. I expect a little girl crying, screaming,” he added.
Morrell fled the store shortly afterward but was apprehended nearby, according to police. He has been charged with first-degree attempted aggravated robbery in connection with the incident.
According to the police, the firearm he initially displayed was ultimately determined to be a BB gun.
An Amazon spokesperson stated that Morrell was employed as a delivery associate for a third-party service. Following his arrest, the representative confirmed that he will be “immediately offboarded.”
Officers at the scene recovered a BB replica of a Sig Sauer .45 caliber handgun. They located the suspect several hundred feet from the store and instructed him to stop, but he allegedly refused. The man resisted arrest but was ultimately subdued and taken into custody. Identified as Morrell, he had a fresh abrasion beneath his left eye and blood on his lips.
During his police interview, Morrell denied ever being in the liquor store, insisting instead that he was in the vicinity to visit a tobacco shop. He asserted that the injuries on his face were the result of an altercation that had occurred two days prior.
Morrell is currently in custody as he awaits his initial court hearing scheduled for Friday.