When 13 year-old Braydon Self walked into his local Dollar Store in Oklahoma with his stepfather, he had no idea that their normal day was about to take a terrifying turn.
As soon as they walked in, Braydon was stunned to see a robber pointing a gun right at his stepfather.
"The first thing I saw was the guy aiming a pistol at [my stepdad]," the boys recalled.
The two had unknowingly entered an armed robbery in progress, but instead of panicking like most people would, Braydon took action. Seeing that the robber was distracted with the adults, Braydon ran to the back of the store and hid in a stockroom. He then pulled out his cellphone and called the police.
"I ran to the back, and I looked at the back door, and I was like I want to go in there," he said, "and I called the cops."
When officers got to the store, the robber made his escape through the backdoor. Braydon heard noises outside the door of the stockroom, and he worried that the robber might be trying to break in and kill him. Thankfully, the noise was just his stepdad running out the backdoor to chase after the suspect.
"I was like, oh man, that better not be him," he said. "I felt like I was going to get killed."
Police eventually tracked the suspect down at his home, where they found evidence that he had committed other robberies as well. Officers are now hailing Braydon as a hero, as they may not have caught this suspect without his quick thinking. For Braydon, the entire experience has been overwhelming.
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"It's hard to explain," Braydon said. "I was very happy that he didn't get killed or me."
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