Armed customer thwarts robbery at Waffle House, deputies say

COLUMBIA, S.C. — An armed customer thwarted a robbery early Tuesday morning at a South Carolina Waffle House, officials said.

The Richland County Sheriff's Office said Jamal Ford, 19, and Kenji Yates, 22, walked into a Waffle House around midnight, pointed guns at the cook and demanded cash, WLTX reported.

A customer, who is a licensed concealed gun owner, confronted the pair, investigators said. They exchanged gunfire before the suspects fled the restaurant without any money.

No one was injured.

Deputies with K-9 units tracked Ford and Yates, who were taken into custody. They were arrested and charged with attempted armed robbery and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, the State reported. Ford was also charged with possession of a stolen gun. No bond has been set for the men.

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