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ST. LOUIS – Some are calling a local store owner a guardian angel after he saves a stranger’s life after the teen was being chased by four people, one carrying a hand gun.

Surveillance footage shows the split-second decision the owner made just inches away from the life-saving encounter.

Operations manager and Crown Wash Express Store owner Jay Johnson say he is counting his blessings after a very scary situation on Friday.

Johnson says he was standing at the front door of his store located on Kingshighway in the City of St. Louis when he noticed five teens running toward his store, “I could not tell if they were just running normal, just until they got halfway across the lot,” said Johnson.

The incident was captured on his surveillance video as teens got closer to the door Johnson noticed one teen was being chased by four other teens and knew it was a cry for help, “The gentleman got closer to the front door, he looked at me debating if he wanted to run in the store or run and try and get away. I held the door open and let him in and lock the door from the other four guys that were chasing him. I was thinking I have my own son and I hate to see something happen to him,” said Johnson.

Once Johnson reviewed the video, he noticed one of the teens chasing the man had a gun in his hand and his finger on the trigger. Johnson says if he had to do it all over again, he would.

“I did not see the gun, but my decision was I had to stand firm, had I could not buckled with my decision. If I would have let them in the store, they would have done whatever they wanted to do, so I had to block that doorway. I just really did what any father would do. I was not looking to be a hero. I really was hoping to save someone life and that day I saved more than one life, the guy with the gun and the gentleman they were chasing.”

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