GRAPHIC: Smoke shop owner fights back, stabs attempted robber

LAS VEGAS (FOX5/Gray News) - As his store was being robbed, the owner of a smoke shop in Las Vegas said he grabbed a knife and stabbed one of the two people who entered his business.

Johnny Nguyen found himself in a violent struggle when the pair walked into his store in the middle of the day last Wednesday.

“The whole time I was a little bit nervous because obviously I was getting robbed,” he told KVVU. “I was really scared for my life because they were wearing baggy clothes ... one of them came in with a bag as if he had a firearm.”

Surveillance video shows one person taking the tip jar and another jumping over the counter. Then it shows Nguyen fighting back, stabbing one of the accused robbers several times.

“I was in a fight or flight mode … a lot of adrenaline going through my body,” Nguyen said.

The store owner said he called police immediately after stabbing the would-be robber.

Nguyen now plans to get a gun for the store in case someone tries to rob his store again.

“I don’t know who they’re friends with, maybe they want to come back and do something else, so I just must stay vigilant,” Nguyen said.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said two juveniles were arrested, and one more is still outstanding.

They did not say how badly the person who was stabbed was hurt.

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