An argument that escalated into gunfire could have turned deadly for the 20 people who were eating at a Vietnamese restaurant in Houston Sunday night if not for the actions of an armed patron.
Two men were involved in a disturbance at the Mien Tay Quan when one broke away and retrieved a gun from his vehicle. He came back to the eatery and began shooting from outside the building, shattering windows and putting patrons in grave danger.
Luckily, Anthony Yet, an investigator for the Harris County prosecutor’s office, was having dinner at Mien Tay Quan while all of this was happening.
Mien Tay Quan restaurant in disarray after suspect opened fire inside, gunman killed in doorway by customer #khou11 pic.twitter.com/8wBzdnfqpt
— Drew Karedes (@DrewKaredesKHOU) February 2, 2015
Customer kills gunman in west #Houston restaurant. #khou11 http://t.co/0zOvQquTUP Photo: @DrewKaredesKHOU pic.twitter.com/IyjvuNjhYX
— The Bishop (@BillBishopKHOU) February 2, 2015
Yet fired his service weapon at the shooter, killing him.
According to KHOU, Yet has been a certified peace officer since 1992. He has worked in the Harris County prosecutor’s office since 2013.
Several similar incidents have occurred in Houston in recent months. Last month, an armed patron at a seafood restaurant was described as “amazing” after he opened fire on two armed robbers. Also last month, a Houston-based rapper fatally shot an attacker during an attempted car-jacking and home invasion.
In an incident shortly before New Year’s Eve, an armed robber attempted to rip off a Houston-area fireworks stand. The clerk on duty shot the assailant, who was airlifted to a hospital.
And last year, a Marine Corps veteran intervened after he saw two masked men leaving a Houston-area video game store. The veteran raised his pistol at one of the assailants and asked a bystander to call 911. After the assailant raised his gun and aimed it, the veteran fatally shot him.