Pistol Defense Story

By Robert McLain as told by Steve Swyhart

After evening class on November 1, 2001,  Mr Swyhart went to a local convenience store in Arlington to purchase a drink before returning home.  He pulled into the store parking lot, located at the intersection of Park Row and Collins.  Outside was a Coca Cola delivery truck and a few cars.  Mr. Swyhart put his gym bag and belt into the trunk before entering the store.

Upon entering, Mr. Swyhart noticed a group of people in the back of the store, no clerk visible behind the counter, and a large man by the magazine rack near the store entrance with his back towards the front.  Mr. Swyhart walked close to the large man to get to the drink cooler.  The man turned his head and looked at Mr. Swyhart from the corner of his eye, then swung around with a silver pistol in his right hand.

"I didn't think. It just happened like we practice in class!" said Mr. Swyhart.  He side-stepped and pressed the pistol to the side avoiding the pistol.  Mr. Swyhart then grabbed the gun barrel and spun the barrel over the gunman's arm and dropped it to the inside of the gunman's arm, trapping the gunman's finger in the trigger guard.

"I heard some snapping and popping, and the gunman dropped to his knees, yelling in pain," said Mr. Swyhart.  Mr. Swyhart then pulled the gunman's pistol away and held the gunman at bay with the pistol until the Arlington Police Department arrived.  There was a clerk with blood running down his cheek that jumped from behind the counter, to bind the hands of the gunman who was laying on the floor holding his injured hand.  The clerk had been pistol-whipped by the gunman.

When the police arrived, they retrieved the store's surveillance video tape and reviewed what happened.  They were so amazed at what Mr. Swyhart did that they asked him to demonstrate it to them.  They then asked him where he learned such a technique.  Mr. Swyhart explained about his Chayon-Ryu training to the police.

The Coca Cola delivery driver witnessed the incident from the cab of his truck.

The gunman is being held on attempted manslaughter charges.

Mr. Swyhart was honored by The City Of Arlington and The Arlington Police Department for heroism.