Barbara Golden said robbers must have thought she'd be an easy target.

They were wrong.

The 72-year-old proprietor of A-Pet-U-Bet pet store in Gaffney grabbed a robber's loaded gun and twisted it towards him Tuesday evening just as her son-in-law distracted the two ski mask-wearing robbers who entered the store with a spray from the only weapon he had available - a water hose.

She's not quite sure where the moxie came from.

"It was like someone else was speaking for me," she said on Thursday, two days after the robbery attempt.

"All I had was a hose," said her son-in-law, Robert "Butch" Howard, who had been tending to fish tanks a short distance away from the counter at the time of the robbery. "I couldn't throw a fish at him. I figured I'd distract him (the robber) to help her grab the gun."

He knew his mother-in-law would take matters into her own hands. "Being a country girl, yes," he replied.

Caught off guard, the robbers fled with empty pockets only to be captured a few streets away.

In some ways, Golden and Howard agreed, it was poetic that one of the men who is accused of trying to rob their pet store was brought down by a police dog just minutes later.

With the exception of a dog bite sustained by Ryan Daniel Townson, 18, of Woodlawn Avenue, no one else was hurt.

Police say, however, the situation could have ended much differently. Golden's eightyear old grandson, her 11-yearold granddaughter, and a customer were in the store when the incident occurred. Not only did the gun get pointed at Golden, but police allege Townson pointed the gun at them while they were chasing him.

There were two rounds in the stolen .40-caliber Glock pistol police recovered after Townson was tackled and then held to the ground by "Diesel," the Gaffney Police Department K9 handled by Officer Ronnie Anderson.

Townson faces the most charges of the three teens arrested Tuesday evening. He is charged with two counts of assault with intent to kill for allegedly pointing the gun at Gaffney Police Officer Johnny Miller and Officer Anderson, robbery while armed with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, and receiving stolen goods.

The handgun recovered by police was stolen, along with four fully loaded magazines of ammunition, from the home of Gaffney City Councilman Bernard Smith. Police said Smith didn't know the weapon was missing until after Tuesday evening's events.

Also charged are 18-year-old Lagarrick Jamar Wilkie, of Peachtree Street, Gaffney, and a 15-year-old juvenile whose name was not released.

Wilkie is charged with robbery while armed with a deadly weapon and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.

Townson's bond on the armed robbery charge has been set at $100,000. Bond is pending on the other charges. Wilkie's bond had not yet been set as of Thursday afternoon, according to Cherokee County Detention Center records.

Police said the juvenile's case would be heard in Family Court.