A would-be robber in Frederick, Md. didn’t know what was in store for him when he tried to hold up a 7-Eleven cashier. When the suspect pointed a rifle in his face, the store clerk wrestled the weapon away, causing the man to flee. The Frederick News-Post posted a video of the incident, which occurred on July 12.

Joseph Layman, the clerk, told FOX 5 yesterday that he was trained on how to disarm someone from his dad and brother and he used those techniques in the heat of the moment. “I was ready to defend my life—if I got killed or anything, at least I went down fighting,” he said.

When police arrived at the scene, they discovered that there were no bullets in the gun, FOX 5 reported. And officers made an arrest in the case.

The store’s owner, Abdul Ayub, told The Frederick News-Post on Tuesday that Layman had been fired for violating the store’s corporate policy in confronting the robber. But he called the publication back yesterday to retract the statement, saying that he said Layman was fired out of frustration with all of the media attention.

“Joey not only got a raise, Joey also was upgraded to a manager. He is not fired,” Ayub said.