Failed Bountiful robbery earns easily deterred thief a felony charge

A alleged would-be robber who ran away when a victim confronted him has been charged with a felony.

Prosecutors charged the 32-year-old man Friday with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony. According to court documents, the man confronted a woman Nov. 2 in the parking lot of a Bountiful grocery store. The man ordered the woman to hand over her money or he would pull out a gun.

But the 47-year-old woman fired back an unexpected reply: "go for it, pull it."

The response startled the would-be robber and he fled, court documents state. The woman ran inside the store where a manager called 911. Police, who were nearby, responded quickly enough to cut the man off before he could even get out of the parking lot.

The man could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of aggravated robbery. Police said after the incident that they would not recommend confronting would-be thieves, though they admitted that it worked in this case.

jdalrymple@sltrib.com

Twitter: @jimmycdii