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A man from Holland Township, Michigan did not give up the one thing he loved the most despite being involved in a scary situation: his expensive Louis Vuitton bag.
Jerad Kluting became a victim of a robbery as he was simply walking down a street last Monday, May 14, local TV network Wood TV 8 reported. But he won’t be just another helpless victim, it turns out.
Despite the frightening incident, Kluting showed courage when he refused to give the robber his pricey designer bag.
Police who were on Kluting’s case said that the 21-year-old unidentified robber pulled a handgun on the victim. He then demanded for the bag and fired three shots using his weapon.
“It happened very fast. In one motion he took the gun out of his waist belt and with the other hand put up a bandana over his mouth and pointed, was like, ‘Give me your bag,'” the report quoted Kluting.
His response to the robber? “You’re not getting my Louis Vuitton.”
Kluting said he worked very hard for the bag which he has “had forever” and “means a lot to me.”
“I wasn’t about ready to relinquish it to some thug that was going to demand it from me,” he added.
According to the report, Kluting believed that the robber was scaring him when he pulled the first two shots. The final shot was aimed at him, but he luckily missed.
Jerad Kluting of Holland Township, Michigan refused to give up his designer handbag to the robber. “I worked hard for it!” he explained. Image: Instagram/@jeradkluting
“I paid $1,700 (around P88,800) for it or thereabouts… I love Louis Vuitton and I saw this bag long before I could buy it and I saved up my money to buy it,” he stated in the report. “It means a lot to me. … It represents me. I wasn’t about to relinquish my personal property.”
Authorities have arrested the suspect, later revealed as one Christian Steven Bracamontes in a follow-up report. He will be facing charges of armed robbery and possession of felony firearm, among others.
Meanwhile, Kluting is proud he survived, his handbag still with him. He also had this message to the robber over his failed robbery attempt: “He can pry it out of my cold dead hands.”
As for those who think Kluting was crazy for not giving up his signature bag? He replied with some wise words he said he got from his grandmother: “[I]f you’re born to hang, you’ll never drown.” Katrina Hallare/JB
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