Video shows Phoenix gas station hostages attack and subdue gunman

AZ Central

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) – Newly-released security video from May 9, 2018, shows the moment a man shot and killed a customer in a Phoenix Circle K store, before holding nine other customers hostage. The victims then tackled the suspect and were able to escape.

At 9 a.m., security video shows customers entering and leaving the store, including a police officer.

Moments later, Joel McClain Carson, entered the convenience store with a gun.

Within a minute, police said he shot and killed 24-year-old Efran Hernandez, before turning his rage onto the other people in the store.

“He said, ‘This is not a game. It’s not a joke. I don’t want any money, any beer… I came prepared to die,'” one of the hostages later told the police.

Carson then ordered an employee to lock the front door before he barricades it with a donut case.

Customers were then ordered to the back of the store.

With one man already dead, security video catches the moment a customer fights Carson before all the other hostages join in.

“I turned the gun to his stomach, and I tried to pull the trigger,” said the man who fought back. “It was my only instinct to get myself out of the situation.”

With the store now empty, Carson appeared dazed and confused.

After almost an hour, SWAT barreled in, and Carson was shot once.

A year later, he is still awaiting trial, facing murder and assault charges.