Recently, an 8-year-old Minnesota girl stepped in to help her father, who was being physically attacked in a violent altercation with an armed robber inside a liquor store. As store manager Leo was attempting to close Big Discount Liquors in Maplewood around 9:30, a man wearing an Amazon vest walked into the store, and the situation quickly became dangerous.
The individual brandished a realistic-looking BB gun and demanded the cash from the register. “He put the gun on the table. He asked me to give him all the money and everything in the register. I told him, ‘Yes, I’ll give you everything,’” Leo recounted. However, Morrell’s 8-year-old daughter was also behind the counter, and Leo tried to reason with the suspect that he could have the money and that all he cared about was his daughter’s safety.
Security footage shows the man walking behind the register with the fake weapon. “I’m a dad; I’m not going to let that happen,” Leo said. The store manager proceeded to punch Morrell and wrestle him to the ground, to which the 8-year-old acquired a baseball bat and began to hit the suspect. “I’m so proud of her; she’s so strong,” Leo said, praising his daughter. “That day, I just wanted to cry. When I saw the video, I didn’t expect she’d do that. I expect a little girl crying, screaming,” he added.
The suspect has been identified as thirty-seven-year-old Conchobhar Morrell of St. Paul. He has a criminal record, including a 2004 conviction for first-degree aggravated robbery. Morrell was reportedly a delivery driver for a third-party delivery service that distributed Amazon packages. An Amazon spokesperson said he would be “immediately offboarded.”
CBS News shared the footage to X, writing, “Video shows an 8-year-old girl using a baseball bat to help her dad fight off an armed robber wearing an Amazon uniform inside a liquor store in Minnesota. Her father, who’s a store manager, told CBS Minnesota that he didn’t expect her to join in.” The clip sparked a variety of responses from social media users.
One person commented, “Daddy’s girls protect their dads. God bless that child.” Another person weighed in, “Brave girl and quick thinking. That was great!” One user applauded the girl’s bravery, “Sad that she was put in that position by the f***head who wanted to do the wrong thing. Good for her; having her dad’s back. Very brave, little one.”
Others warned that parts of Minnesota have become dangerous, calling for people to defend themselves. “If you are going to work at a liquor store in Minnesota, you need to carry a gun on your person to protect yourself and loved ones. A baseball bat under the counter is next to nothing. Please consider upgrading before the next time it happens (it’s Minnesota so it will),” they said.
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Another X users echoed a similar sentiment, commenting, “Welcome to the American dream, or nightmare. This robbery was brought to you by weak on crime liberals. Like Harris ad campaign commercial. Expect she would charge the 8 year old with assult with a deadly weapon.” Watch the incident below, where the young girl bravely defended her father:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.