STOCKTON, CA- A homeless man is being hailed a hero after coming to the rescue of a clerk who was about to be robbed for the second time in a week.
She says she's too afraid to come back to work.
The clerk, Tuyet Tran, says the gunman who she describes as Hispanic with a ponytail drove up to this gas station with two females in a red Toyota pickup truck
The man got out of the truck and seemed drunk, and the clerk noticed and knew something was wrong.
Tran says she is still frightened, but despite the fear, the Chevron gas station attendant spoke with FOX40 just hours after she came face to face with a gunman in Stockton Monday night.
"This time around it's just scary that he was so aggressive," Tran said.
She says even before he threatened her with a gun, she knew something wasn't right.
The man seemed drunk and had urinated on some firewood outside the store.
"So I tell my homeless friend, Steve, 'cause he was inside the store with me, to kick the cone close so we can shut the door,"Tran explained.
That odd behavior was enough for Tran to take action, as the mother of three had been robbed just two weeks before.
The gas station's surveillance footage from that night, shows a woman pointing a gun in her face.
On Monday, Tran was again staring at the barrel of a gun.
With a gun in her face for the second time in two weeks, Tran went behind the register while her friend Steve Smith, a homeless man who has been keeping her company since she was robbed weeks ago, moved near the door.
"I didn't know what to do. And here's Steve over by the door," said Tran.
"And then I started grabbing for the fire extinguisher, which was right by the door," Steve added.
What he did next may have saved her life.
"I was able to finally pull the pin out of the fire extinguisher and squirt him," Steve explained.
Grateful, yet concerned, Tran asked smith why he put his life on the line.
"I asked Steve you know, why did you do that you could have gotten hurt. You know, he could have shot you. And he told me, 'Because you have kids'," Tran said.
She's still scared, but her gratitude for Steve is stronger.