Masked gunman dies after being pinned down and disarmed by customers in bookies

Alan

An armed robber who burst into a betting shop wearing a gas mask and brandishing a gun collapsed and died after being tackled by customers.

The gunman, named locally as Alan Levers, 50, was disarmed and pinned down by punters at Ladbrokes on Crownhill Road in Plymouth, Devon, shortly before 7pm last night.

Brave customers held the robber on the floor while others raised the alarm, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

Officers arrested the man, who was already unconscious, upon arrival, but he was declared dead a short time later.

The man has been identified as Alan Levers, 50, from Plymouth, by locals.

David Walker, 55, who walked into the betting shop minutes after the robber had entered, said he was stunned to find a group of men 'scuffling' on the floor.

'I went in about 6.55pm, to put a bet on the football,' he said.

'When I went in there, they were on the floor, they were scuffling on the floor, I just thought it was just a fight or something.

'There were the two men, customers I think, on top of him, and the bloke on the floor. There was a bloke behind the counter and an old guy with glasses standing around.

'The bloke behind the counter told me they weren't taking any bets and I had to leave.

'I didn't see their faces, as they were holding the guy down at the back of the shop. I couldn't see any mask and there wasn't any physical movement, they were just holding him.'

Mr Walker said he has only lived in the area for four to five weeks and did not know the staff or customers in the shop very well.

'I only came up to do a bet, I just assumed it was a fight over money or something until they said he'd tried to rob the place.'

Police said four people were inside the shop when the robber burst in.

Levers, from Honicknowle, was previously jailed for four years after he pointed an imitation handgun at the face of a shop worker at a Costcutter in the city during a robbery in December 2009, the Plymouth Herald reported. It said he had previous convictions for burglary and assault dating back to 1976.

Police said today it is thought the weapon Levers was holding last night was also an imitation gun, although this has not been confirmed.

His nephew Peter Levers, 28, described the gunman as a 'generous' man who had just been reunited with his family.

Mr Levers also said his uncle had been trying to move on from his criminal past after a spell in prison.

He said: 'He was a generous guy who would give you his last 50p if he had it.

'He had recently been reunited with his family, he was back in touch with his kids, he had a great missus.

'I can't understand why he would do this now when he had everything to live for.'

Mr Levers also revealed the dad-of-three may have had a lung condition which restricted his breathing.

'The actions taken by members of the public in the shop were brave and showed a disregard for their own safety'

 Chief Superintendent Andy Bickley

He said: 'He has a shadow on his lung, he's been quite ill recently. They thought it might have been cancer. That could have affected his breathing.

'Right now we want answers. We need to know exactly what happened.'

Levers, a roofer and lifelong Liverpool FC fan, is thought to have a son in his early twenties, and another son and daughter in their teens.

Chief Superintendent Andy Bickley praised customers for their bravery and 'disregard for their own safety'.

'Last night’s events resulted in the tragic death of a Plymouth man,' he said.

'His family are being supported by police and our thoughts and condolences are with his family at this sad and difficult time.'

Chief Supt Bickley confirmed the man was known locally as Alan Levers, but said formal identification had not yet been completed.

'I can confirm that no one has been arrested in connection with this death nor has anyone been questioned under caution as a suspect at this time,' he said.

'I can also clarify that there were four people in the shop at the time of the incident and they have all supported our inquiries.

'I can share with you that the firearm has been initially examined by a police firearms officer and it appears to be an imitation pistol, though this still needs to be verified. 

'I would like to add however that there would have been no way of knowing this at the time of the incident.  The actions taken by members of the public in the shop were brave and showed a disregard for their own safety,' he said.

The police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), has been informed of the incident.

A police spokesman said last night: 'It quickly became clear the man was unresponsive and an ambulance was immediately requested by police who carried out CPR until they arrived.

'A few minutes later three paramedics arrived at the scene and continued to carry out further CPR. Around 20 minutes later the man was declared dead at the scene by the paramedics.'

Ex-MoD policeman George, who did not want to give a surname, said he was not shocked to hear the news, claiming there was another incident when a man had to be thrown out not long ago.

'There was a fight a while back, I think it was a drunk who had come in there and he had to be removed by staff,' he said.

The 79-year-old, who visits the branch daily, said he left at about 4pm, when there were still about five people in the shop.

He added: 'Presumably there were quite a few people in there, there isn't normally at that time, that's probably why he thought he'd come and play silly buggers with a gas mask.'

Ivor Green, 67, also from West Park, said he was not surprised that the customers had leapt to the defence of the staff.

'They would do that in a shop like this, it is our betting shop,' he said.

'The staff become your friends, it's a little family, and it's no different to a member of your family being threatened. The guys in there would be protective of them.

'It's poetic justice really. I wish everyone that robs a betting shop would have a heart attack.

'That's absolutely the way it should unfold. He shouldn't have been doing that in the first place,' said Mr Green, who usually visits the betting shop daily, but decided to stay indoors yesterday because of the bad weather.

Ladbrokes has said it is assisting police with the investigation.

The Ladbroke branch is expected to remain closed until 11am on Monday.

culled from dailymail.co.uk