In today's news section, CSNews Online covers the tale of Mohammad Sohail, the Long Island, N.Y. c-store operator who confronted a would-be robber first with a licensed shot gun he kept under the counter, then, after the suspect begged for mercy and said he was unemployed and desperate to feed his children, offered the guy 40 bucks and some bread. The ensuing media spotlight, however, had its downside: officials confiscated a sizable inventory of pipes and bongs Sohail was offering for sale.
Mohammad claims he didn't know the pipes were used to smoke drugs and has started a charity, he says, to help "those in need."
Um, call me a cynical New Yorker, but I'm not buying Sohail's story. The guy had 100 pipes in stock. (At least he wasn't out of stock.) Did he think they were being snatched up by production company of Showtime's "Weeds?"
I get a queasy feeling whenever I read about a store owner with a gun behind the counter. (Don't ask me to see a Quentin Tarantino movie with you.)
No wonder the c-store industry gets a bad rap. Did he sell roses in little glass tubes too? Were Brillo sales brisk? (Note: I learned all these things could be used as drug paraphernalia after two decades of writing about c-store crime, not from personal experience.)
Still, Sohail's merciful reaction to the armed robber was extraordinary -- and the community he serves has rallied around him, a testament to the kind of guy he is and the role his store plays in the neighborhood.
Maybe I have to accept that today's 'heroes' are never squeaky clean. Even Jack Bauer has flaws.
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