When a lady fired fire during a blatant attempted robbery at a convenience shop in West Virginia, a gas station clerk barely escaped death.
Surveillance footage of the entire horrific event was unsettling.
Just before four in the morning on Friday, Rebecca Peterson, 42, of Oceana, entered a Shell station on Little Coal River Road in Lincoln County and came up to the counter carrying a gun.
In a video that WCHS uploaded online, Peterson told the cashier that she planned to rob the business before firing a shot that hit the wall behind him.
Alaa Hammad, the man working the nighttime shift, had been filling in for a friend at the time.
As the gunshot echoed through the little store, his voice could be heard in the security tape exclaiming, “Oh, my God!” amid the ensuing chaos.
Peterson even gave the cashier her name before firing her.
Rebecca Peterson, 42, is charged with trying to use a gun to rob a petrol station in Lincoln County, West Virginia. The event happened at a Shell station on Friday just before 4 a.m.
Peterson went up to the clerk and asked for money, but she also provided her name.
Peterson is accused of assault, brandishing, wanton endangerment, attempted armed robbery, and property destruction.
According to investigators, Hammad attempted to diffuse the tension by informing Peterson that the owner of the store was counting money in a back room.
Hammad made a daring attempt to divert her focus. According to troopers, Peterson then made his way to the back of the business and discovered that nobody was there.
Before the video fades and Peterson fires another shot at the security camera, she can be seen pointing her gun at it.
“I tried to let her be calm and saw her mentality is not awake,” Hammad later told WCHS, detailing his attempt to prevent the scenario from getting worse. It allowed him crucial seconds to run away and dial 911.
Troopers claim that after leaving the store, the suspect drove off in a black SUV and headed north on US Route 119. Her escape, however, was brief.
Watch: Following an attempted armed robbery at a Lincoln County convenience store early on Friday that resulted in gunfire, a Wyoming County woman is facing numerous counts. Story: pic.twitter.com/8yqhIXW0Ou https://t.co/4RKOttBm3L
The Peterson was informed by the clerk that the owner was counting money in a back room. When Peterson went to the rear, he discovered that nobody was there. Then she fired straight at the surveillance camera.
Alaa Hammad, the cashier who was filling in for a buddy at the time, persuaded Peterson to go to the back of the store so he could quickly flee and dial 911.
Shortly after, authorities located Peterson’s car and placed her under arrest.
Shortly after, the car was located by law authorities, who then arrested Peterson.
A gun that is thought to have been used in the incident was found, according to police.
Peterson is now facing a number of serious charges, including assault, brandishing, wanton endangerment, attempted armed robbery, and property destruction, according to West Virginia State Police.
