Jerad Kluting, 31, had just finished running errands and decided to walk home on the evening of Monday, May 14, when a man attempted to rob him.He said that he used the same route that he’s been on hundreds of times. But on this particular night, he saw a man on the same route and had a bad feeling something was going to happen.

“It’s like a premonition when you feel a threat,” he said. That’s when the man approached Jerad, took out a bandana and covered his mouth with it. The man took out a gun from his waistband and aimed it at Jerad. While holding him at gunpoint, the robber demanded for Jerad to hand over the bag he was carrying.

But even with a gun aimed at him, Jerad did not hand over his bag. He then told the robber, “You’re not getting my Louis Vuitton. I worked very hard for this and this bag I’ve had forever and it means a lot to me.” “I wasn’t about ready to relinquish it to some thug that was going to demand it from me … I paid $1,700 for it. I love Louis Vuitton,” He said to a local news station.

“I saw this bag long before I could buy it and I saved up to buy it. It represents me.” After refusing to give his bag, the thief fired two shots next to Jerad and demanded for the bag again. That’s when Jerad made a break for it. “That’s when I turned and ran north. He pursued me that time and he fired two more shots. On the fourth one his gun jammed and he had to reload it.” Jerad said that he was waiting for a shot to hit him, but when he looked back the robber ran away. Miraculously, he made out of the situation alive and unharmed. The police later located and apprehended the suspect. When Jerad was asked why he responded the way he did, he replied that he did not have time to think and just reacted. “That bag has even more meaning to me now, but it was about not backing down. It was the difference between right and wrong. In that moment, I made a split-second decision.”He also said that if it happened again, he would just give away the bag. He expressed how lucky he is to be alive. He even addressed those who claimed he was a hero by saying he was merely “standing up to a bully” and that those whose families are victims of gun violence are the true heroes.