BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (CBSNewYork) — It didn’t take long for an armed robber in Connecticut to realize he chose the wrong target.

When the man entered the Bridgeport liquor store Wednesday evening, he apparently thought he was the only one with a gun. But the store owner quickly whipped out his pistol and sent the would-be armed robber running for his life, CBS2’s Steve Langford reported.

“When he said, ‘Give me the money,’ my wife, she opened the register,” said John Alves, 65, owner of Madison Keg & Spirit. “That’s why I cocked my gun and I point it at him.”

The surveillance video has captivated a gun-beleaguered public near and far, traumatized by endless shootings.

The woman behind the cash register than night was Alves’ wife, whose close call only makes the suspect’s panicked exit that much more satisfying to her family.

“All I could do is kind of just laugh ’cause it’s amateurish, very amateurish,” said David Alves, the store owner’s son.

The family-owned liquor store on Madison Avenue is earning praise from longtime customers, some of whom know the pain of gun violence too well.

“Just a few weeks ago, I had somebody got killed down at the Greens, and it just happened just like that,” said customer Jose Ramirez. “Either it’s you or it’s them.”

The Alves family has owned and operated the store for close to two decades, and Wednesday’s incident is not the first time they have stared down the barrel of a gun.

Bridgeport police have not returned CBS2’s call seeking more details on the case. The suspect is still on the loose.