Car Washer Stops Robber, Police 'Reward' Him With Jail
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A car wash attendant chased off a would-be robber with a power washer — and for his trouble got thrown in jail on an old warrant.
A gunman wearing a skeleton mask strolled into Washman Carwash in Portland on Dec. 13 and confronted employee Chris B. Truax.
"Give me your money!" Truax remembers the man saying, producing what looked like a handgun. The weapon broke, Truax said, and the gunman stuck it back in his waistband.
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Aha, Truax remembers thinking, a fake — emboldening him to lead the robber to the till in the car wash's tunnel.
The gunman ordered Truax, 25, to fill a bag with cash. Truax stepped away. The robber grabbed for the cash.
Truax grabbed for the power washer.
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"It was like a quick draw," Truax told The Oregonian newspaper.
Pulling the power washer from a pail and aiming it like a rifle, he directed a stream of soapy, lukewarm water at the robber with a force of 2,000 pounds per square inch. The man fled without the money.
"It had to hurt. I promise you that," said Jason Marsh, Truax's assistant manager. "It was brilliant."
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The robber remains at large.
Truax's employers gave him two days off with pay, but the police jailed him on a 7-year-old warrant accusing him of driving under the influence of intoxicants. He was released the following night.
"It's about time I took care of it," he said, shrugging.