ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester police say it’s not a good idea for citizens to fight back against a robber with a gun.

But we want to show you the video and share the story of one of the store clerks who told us that his instinct just took over.

At 6 p.m. Thursday two men walked into a smoke shop at North Goodman Street and Clifford Avenue. They spent about minute talking to the clerk. But as the clerk bent down to get something, one of the men pulled out a gun.

When the gun gets near the clerk’s face, the clerk fights back and pushes the gunman to the floor.

Berkeley Brean, News10NBC: “The video shows it looks like you fought back.”
Micah Fulton, who fought off armed robber: “Yeah, I did fight back.”

Fulton was the clerk who challenged the armed robber.

Brean: “Was that just instinct or did you think about it?”
Fulton: “Yeah, just instinct. I didn’t even see the gun at first and then once I seen it my instinct just to get it away from me or get him down or just make him off balance or something.”

After pushing the gunman, Fulton tried to hide under the counter but then escaped into the basement.

Brean: “I don’t know what I would have done, but I’m not sure I would have some back to work the next day.”
Fulton: “Yeah, this is the job. Literally it can happen to anybody not working. So, the way I look at it you’ve got the opportunity to live or survive so I’m just trying to live, you know?”

As Fulton hid, the video shows the robber came back into the store and fired at least one bullet. We saw a bullet hole in a display case.

Then a third man with a gun guarded the door while the first robber with a gun started throwing items into a garbage bag.

In the last month, Rochester police data show 45 robberies and most of them involved a weapon.

Brean: “How do you feel today?”
Fulton: “I feel good. I feel like I got another chance, you know. Like it could have been worse, you know. So I feel like I got a reason to be here.”

The other clerk who fought an armed robber was at a corner store on Jay Street. I went there today and they told me police have the video.

RPD says they’ve made nine robbery arrests recently.