Suspect in Starbucks robbery may sue man who stopped him

A man credited with stopping a robbery of a Starbucks in July might now be sued by the suspect, over wounds the would-be robber received from the Good Samaritan.

Ryan Flores, 30, is facing charges for second-degree robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, stemming from a robbery of a Fresno Starbucks. Flores was arrested after he allegedly tried to rob a barista with a fake gun and wearing a Transformers mask — and in the process, he was subdued by a customer and stabbed with his own knife.

Cregg Jerri, 58, was that customer, and he intervened in the attempted robbery by hitting Flores with a chair from behind. Flores pulled out a knife and fought back, with the two men wrestling over the weapon. Jerri sustained a stab wound to the neck, but was able to take the knife away, and stab Flores an apparent 17 times during the fight.

Ryan Flores, left, was thwarted with an attempted robbery of a Fresno Starbucks in July by Cregg Jerri, 58. Ryan Flores, left, was thwarted with an attempted robbery of a Fresno Starbucks in July by Cregg Jerri, 58. Photo: Fresno Police Dept. Photo: Fresno Police Dept. Image 1 of / 29 Caption Close Suspect in Starbucks robbery may sue man who stopped him 1 / 29 Back to Gallery

Flores's mother, Pamela Chimienti, described Jerri's actions as "excessive force" and told KSEE that Flores planned to file a lawsuit.

"The guy, in my opinion, went from a Good Samaritan to a vigilante," Chimienti told the broadcast news station. "Stabbing somebody that many times, it doesn't take that many stab wounds to get somebody to succumb to you."

Video of the robbery later went viral and showed the encounter between Jerri and Flores, and the fight that resulted in injuries for both men.

Flores's father, Mark Flores, told the Fresno Bee, "I understand he (Ryan Flores) robbed the store but (Jerri) stabbed my son 17 times."

Ryan Flores, currently in Fresno County Jail, did not directly confirm or deny the lawsuit, and instead told the newspaper that he's taking things "one step at a time."

"I don't like to judge people," Flores said, "but that's a lot of stab wounds."

Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer, who initially praised Jerri's actions in thwarting the robbery, reportedly called the idea of Jerri being sued "ludicrous." Legal analysts commenting on the case expressed doubt that the lawsuit would go anywhere, saying that "unreasonable malice" would be difficult to prove.