The lone 19-year-old female clerk was confronted by two of the robbers, one of whom was armed with a black semi-automatic pistol. She was moved into a back room where she was bound with duct tape.Very scary. And once they have you bound, they can do anything they want to you, no matter how much muffled-howling terror or agony it causes. That they did not seems more a matter of luck for the clerk than anything else, because anyone lacking sufficient morality to pull a gun and bind a fellow human being for petty gain is capable of any evil.
And, of course, while 19 is old enough to serve in the military, well, California law wouldn't permit this young lady to even possess, let alone carry a handgun. Of course, it's a sure bet that the predators aren't allowed either, not that such formalities ever stop them.