SAN FRANCISCO – A man is in jail after a bar worker in San Francisco’s Mission District knocked him to the ground as he tried to rob a customer.
It happened early Friday morning at Carlin’s Cafe in the Mission District and some are calling the man a hero.
The entire incident was caught on surveillance video just after 6:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Nick Grant was standing behind the counter when the masked man walked in. He immediately went to a customer’s backpack and Grant sprang into action.
“I realized he was in a situation where he needed help,” Grant said.
Things quickly escalated, the men traded punches and the masked man sprayed bear mace at Grant.
“To this day I still have breathing problems,” Grant said.
The mace affected his vision and he suffered injuries to his face and arm.
Just before the attempted robbery, Jim Carroll was walking to the gym with his wife.
He saw a man masked and dressed in dark clothing. He was afraid they were going to be robbed, but the man kept walking.
His wife turned around, saw the incident happening in the cafe and brought it to Carroll’s attention.
“Without even thinking, I ran to the restaurant,” Carroll said.
In the video you see him run through the door and immediately try to help Grant.
“I was on the phone with 911 and I was trying to assess the situation and find out who the robber was. I found out which one it was and put my arm around his neck,” Carroll said.
Grant then held the suspect for more than six minutes, waiting for police to arrive.
Police identified the suspect as 42-year-old Amir Moner of Concord. He was transported and booked into the San Francisco County Jail due to the incident and other active out-of-county warrants.
Despite the fear, Grant and Carroll are grateful that all is well and that they have made new friendships in a situation that could have been tragic.
“I feel a new connection to my community, and the owner, Matt, is a great guy. And Nick, Nick is the real hero. I just stepped in and helped. He’s the hero,” said Carroll.
After the attempted robbery, the café was closed for a short time for cleaning work, but is now open again according to normal opening hours.
