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Caught on camera: armed robber holds up Phoenix gas station

Scary security camera video was captured inside of a Phoenix gas station, as an armed robber demanded money from the clerk.

PHOENIX - Scary security camera video was captured inside of a Phoenix gas station, as an armed robber demanded money from the clerk.

It happened in broad daylight, early Monday morning near 35th Avenue and Camelback Road.

The owner told 12 News he doesn't think it was the gunman's first robbery.

"This is the cashier that got robbed," said JJ Bazzi, owner of the Chevron.

Bazzi showed us the surveillance video of the armed robber walking into the store at about 7:15 a.m. Monday morning.

"Here's the guy, he's walking," he said. "See him? He's just walking in calmly ... he has a gun on his waist."

In the video it appears the robber is trying to keep his face hidden, but multiple camera angles catch him in action. At one point, the robber puts a bag on the counter.

"He pulls out his gun ... see his gun right here," said Bazzi. "The cash register now is just shocked, he doesn't realize what's going on. He's just opening up the cash and emptying out the drawer."

The owner says the whole thing happened in maybe 20 seconds.

The robber acted fast and so calm, that a customer in the store didn't even realize they were being robbed.

"We downloaded the video onto a thumb drive and just gave it to police," said Bazzi.

All of the employees are trained to react the same way.

"I tell these guys: do not resist. Just give them … cash can be replaced, everything can be replaced except a life. It's a job, you know, nothing to get killed over," said Bazzi. "Hopefully they catch them."

The owner has 14 cameras in and around the building right now, but he has a call in to his security company to increase that number to 20.

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