Death to “Killadelphia.”
A Philadelphia gas station owner has taken drastic measures against soaring crime — hiring heavily armed security with AR-15s to patrol outside.
Fox 29 filmed a gaggle of officers guarding a Karco gas station while wearing military-style clothing — including Kevlar bulletproof vests — while toting shotguns and even assault rifles.
The safety firm’s ex-cop leader insisted online that the terrifying arsenal was needed since the City of Brotherly Love is fast earning an ominous recent nickname — becoming the brand new “wild wild West” of “Killadelphia.”
Gas station owner Neil Patel told Fox 29 that he turned to the armed agents from the agency S.I.T.E. amid the worst spate of crime in his 20 years there — including a gang ripping out and carting away his ATM.
“We’re bored with this nonsense — robbery, drug trafficking” and gangs “hanging around,” he told the local outlet.
“I’m fearful for my employees, in addition to my nice neighborhood [and] all the purchasers,” he said, saying criminals were “forcing us to rent the safety.”
S.I.T.E. security boss Andre Boyer, a former Philly cop, said his staff can be mostly former cops — and all highly trained state agents.
“We wear Kevlar, we’re trained — my guards go to training every other week,” he insisted, saying they were all “proficient” in using the assault rifles and Tasers.
“As a Pennsylvania state agent, the law tells us that we have now a right to guard this property by any means mandatory and with whatever force mandatory,” he stressed.
“If I even have to make use of force, I’ll use force,” Boyer told Fox News, saying that you just “need to fight fire with fire sometimes.”
Some Karco customers told the local outlet that they were terrified by the show of firepower.
“Guns like this is able to be on the battlefield,” customer Robert Murray complained.
Others, nonetheless, said they support the owner — who said the violent crimes plaguing his business stopped as soon because the armed security arrived.
Viewers also showed they were clearly in favor — with a poll skyrocketing through the initial airing of the story, ending with 80% of respondents saying the show of force would make them feel safer.
