An Ohio gas station worker says he was fired after opening fire on masked men who rammed a stolen minivan into a Circle K during an attempted robbery. Kendrick Watson, 41, said he acted because he believed his life and his coworker’s life were in danger, as reported by The New York Post.

Watson was behind the register at the Circle K in Stow, Ohio, around 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 2 when the attack began. Four attempted robbers repeatedly drove a stolen minivan into the storefront, police said, according to 3News.

The violent impact shattered the store’s glass entrance and dislodged an ATM. A second minivan then arrived outside the convenience store, and four masked men jumped from that vehicle and rushed toward the building.

Watson grabbed his firearm and discharged seven shots as the men approached. The gunfire sent the group fleeing, ending the attempted robbery while Watson and his coworker remained inside the store.

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Watson described his reaction during a Friday interview with the outlet.

“You just never know what can happen,” Watson told the outlet Friday.

“I was more shocked than terrified. Once they rushed the store, I thought my life and my co-worker’s life at the time was in danger, so I opened fire to protect myself and my co-worker.”

Circle K Clerk Stops Robbery With Gun, Says He Was Fired for Defending Himself https://t.co/GLeoCy5byR via @Ammoland

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The shots struck one of the getaway minivans, a gas pump and a support post beneath the station’s canopy. Police said they did not know whether any of the masked men had been injured during the confrontation.

Authorities confirmed Watson would not face criminal charges over the shooting. Police initially took his firearm as part of the investigation, but the weapon was later returned to him.

The lack of criminal charges did not save Watson’s job. Watson, who had worked at the Circle K for six years, said his manager called him later that day and instructed him not to return.

Watson said he expected the company’s weapons policy to cost him his position, but argued that the attempted robbery presented an extraordinary danger.

“It was just disappointment, really. I knew I was going to get fired because they have [a] no gun, no weapons policy, so I knew that was coming, but my only issue with that was, obviously, this was an extreme situation,” he said.

“Who knows what they could’ve done? So that’s why I did what I did: protect myself and my coworker,” Watson added.

Police arrested one man, identified as Peirion D. Jackson, 25, of Cleveland, after he fled on foot. Jackson faces charges of robbery, receiving stolen property and vandalism, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.

Jackson’s bond was set at $100,000 cash. At least three other people escaped in a stolen brown 1997 Chrysler Town & Country minivan that was last seen traveling west on Steels Corners Road toward State Route 8.

Police said both vehicles involved in the attempted robbery had been stolen from Cleveland. Authorities continued looking for those who escaped, while investigators had not determined whether Watson’s shots injured anyone.

Ohio’s Stand Your Ground law allows people to use force to protect themselves or others against someone unlawfully and forcefully entering their property. Police nevertheless made clear that Watson would not be charged for firing during the attempted robbery.

Watson has since created a GoFundMe to help pay his expenses while he searches for another job. Describing the ordeal on the crowdfunding site, Watson wrote, “It was a traumatic experience.”