KINGMAN - A robbery suspect was left with cuts and bruises after he was allegedly caught in the act by a local hotel owner.
James William Saunders, 41, of Kingman, is charged with robbery after he walked into a local hotel in the 3400 block of Andy Devine Avenue just after 6 p.m. Saturday and broke into the hotel's cash drawer behind the counter.
The owner of the hotel was not behind the counter but heard Saunders enter and saw him with a wad of cash in one hand and the cash drawer broken open.
The owner then fought with Saunders while another employee called police, said Sgt. Bob Fisk with the Kingman Police Department. The owner had Saunders pinned on the ground when police arrived.
Saunders received a laceration to his head in the scuffle but refused medical treatment before being booked into the Mohave County Jail. The owner was not hurt.
Around $200 taken from the cash drawer was recovered.
Fisk said police recommend that individuals call authorities rather than confronting suspects themselves, but added, "in this case the owner was lucky and it all worked out."
Reader Comments
Posted: Saturday, January 09, 2010
Article comment by:
carbunkle head
Stayin at the econo lodge over there in Knucklecity. Even got a new orange suit.
Posted: Friday, January 08, 2010
Article comment by:
Mike
Thats funny. That dude looks like he took a pretty good beating.
Posted: Friday, January 08, 2010
Article comment by:
Tired Of Waste
@ No name
Technically it was the Econo Lodge Smackdown.
Posted: Thursday, January 07, 2010
Article comment by:
No name provided
This was the econo lodge
Posted: Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Article comment by:
Nancy
Way to go hotel owner! This town is over run by criminals. If we all do what this brave man did, we can take back our town, and run these vermin out.
Posted: Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Article comment by:
Joneseseses
@ kak
Exactly! As I like to say to potential home invaders; Guess which house is mine and try to guess which homeowner out here has no gun (in a pro-gun town within a pro-gun state.) There's a huge chance that you'll lose and lose big!
Posted: Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Article comment by:
kak
Break into my house an threaten me.
In that senario. All your gonna get is gift via Smith & Wesson. One shot one kill. Ill call the Police after you have no pulse.
No chance of an intruder living thru it to sue me or press charges.
Protect your second amendment rights...As times get worse you may just need them on your side.
Posted: Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Article comment by:
No name provided
@No Name Provided
"The police department can't be everywhere at once,....."
And yet, they urge citizens not to resist. LoL. The only thing I will ever call the cops for is to take a report and remove the garbage for me.
Posted: Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Article comment by:
No name provided
DO not wait for the police. It is about time honest hard working Americans stood up for themselves and defended their livelihoods and things they worked hard for. Let these thieves know they aren't getting something without a fight!
Posted: Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Article comment by:
Capt. Nice
I'm sorry if I seemed disrespectful to the police and I'm sorry! Saying that,I do believe the police should have some sort of program to weed out the fat ones as it gives them a bad reputation. I know that their vests make them look bad but some are quite obvious and their lives depend on being in top condition plus the publics lives depend on it also. I'm proud of the citizen who protected his business as he threw politically correctness out the window like we all should.
Posted: Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Article comment by:
No name provided
This worked out well for all involved. And James Saunders was lucky he wasn't shot to death for his troubles. Freedom through strength. Americans don't just stand by.
Posted: Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Article comment by:
Tired Of Waste
Let's be realistic here. What the Law Enforcement organizations say publicly must be "politically correct". If you asked almost any police officer off the record they would have said "GOOD JOB!" to that business owner. I've got to say if "Mr. Saunders" had been found in my business with a hand full of my money that photo of him would look MUCH worse! He got off easy.
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Article comment by:
DVS
Just wanna say, WE ARE TIRED OF THE BS. Now it seems we will do it....on our own if necessary. I have always been a law abiding citizens, but have been critized by our local police for trying to protect my own property, seems I could go to jail.....SORRY, I will do it in private from now on....
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Article comment by:
No name provided
Why is everyone so negative in this town? Are the police really that bad? Crime is every where. does it really matter who gets the bad guy as long as he is got.
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Article comment by:
Proud American
The perpetrator is probably lucky he wasn't carrying a gun with him as he may have been subject to a lead injection by the defender. Citizens of Kingman, it's going to get a lot worse as people seek desparate measures in desparate times. Lock your doors, keep an eye out for yourself and your neighbor, expect the worst and pray for the best.
Oh thank you Fisk for those words of wisdom! I feel so enlightened now!
Just so I'm clear, your position is that only cops are capable of defending a citizen and his property? Are you serious?
Lots and lots of business owners and citizens are appropriately armed and not affraid to defend themselves.
If this scumbag walks into the wrong business next time he might be greeted with a very different outcome. I'm sure he'll be out of jail in no time after he appears before one of our "tough on crime" judges.
Too many cops think they're more valuable than they really are. My only use for these local keystone cops is to come clean up the mess after I take care of an armed robber or home intruder.
Bravo to this business owner for giving this scumbag crook some good old fashioned street justice. Good job!
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Article comment by:
thelonegunman
@ Capt. Nice...you are forgetting the obvious here. The police tell us not to do things like this because perhaps if enough criminals were apprehended by citizens and enough crimes were thwarted/solved by citizens the populace would realize that in all cases except for ones with extreme circumstances the government is really not needed.
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Article comment by:
MD
Yeah, okay Fisk. Lets just let the guy run off instead of protecting ourselves. Yes he could have been hurt but obviously he knew he could take the guy down. Maybe business owners should start keeping a gun behind the counter in case someone decides to rob them. Seems like this is becoming a problem in this town.
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Article comment by:
No name provided
Beautiful work "owner!"
I'd have to say that I would probably do the same. It is not in our innate nature to just sit there and hide while someone is victimizing us.
Way to go!
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Article comment by:
Local Business Owner
What this owner did was very brave and he should be commended for what he did. As for your comment Capt. Nice, I guess the KPD needs to have ESP to catch these crooks before they get a phone call. You don't know a crime is happening until it occurs sir.
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Article comment by:
great going!!
It appears from the picture that the brave owner of the hotel beat that fool senseless...but, wait a minute, he likely didn't have any sense long before the drubbing he took at the hands of the hotel owner. Great going- protect your own!!
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Article comment by:
No name provided
While it's true the police would prefer an owner contact the authorities in such a case, most of these small businesses are operating on a shoestring, barely hanging on. The loss of money or the possibility of losing it, is usually enough incentive for a small business owner to jump in and administer a few lumps of his own.
Yes, it's safer not to resist. But, if somebody was trying to beat me senseless, I'd have to respond in a like manner.
I find it very disrespectful and incorrect to make statements about our police department being lazy, or having to do their job for them.
The police department can't be everywhere at once, and try as they may, can't help or defend everybody.
The stereotypical "Fat cop in a doughnut shop" is a derogatory term frequently used by people who have never been involved in law enforcement.
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Article comment by:
Karen
right on !! glad the owner wasnt hurt!
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Article comment by:
No name provided
[Deleted]. As we all know the system will have the robber back out on our streets again and the next time the "suspected" robber will have his weapon with him, it's less expencive to bury 'em tham house them !!
Posted: Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Article comment by:
No name provided
Kudos, to the business owner, for protecting, his property. We all, have a right, to do that. This [deleted], was lucky, he wasn't taken off, in an ambulance. Hopefully ,the [deleted] thief, will be kept, off the streets.
