Florida Store Clerk Invokes Jesus to Foil Robbery

It was one of the most gentle, remorseful and respectful attempted robberies ever. A soft-spoken young woman working in a Florida cellphone store talked an apologetic, nervous bandit out of emptying her cash drawer by announcing she wanted to talk about God, the Miami Herald reported Friday.

Nayara Goncalves, 20, was alone in the store in Pompano Beach, Fla., on July 23 when an unidentified man displayed a gun and demanded cash. Goncalves, a devout Christian, calmly said, "You can do whatever you want, but I'm just going to talk to you about Jesus, my God, before you leave."

There followed a five-minute calm, polite conversation in which the pair -- he said he also was Christian and "I absolutely hate doing this" -- discussed, among other things, a chapel they had both attended and “Pastor Bob.”

The robber told Goncalves he needed $300 to stave off eviction and she showed him there was no cash in her drawer.

Even as he walked out apologizing, Goncalves called "You know you don't need to do that. You know Jesus. He can help you!''

In a final confession, the would-be robber admitted, "You wanna know something? It's not real. It's a BB gun. That's how great I am at this."

She told him, "Be careful, have a good one. May God bless you."

Police said he is still at large.