Remembering the siege

The company that owns the Good Guys chain of electronics stores has closed its 7020 Stockton Blvd. outlet, the scene of a bloody 1991 siege and shootout.

Three gunmen, two store employees and a customer died and 11 others were wounded in the eight-hour standoff. The sole surviving gunman was sentenced to 41 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.

The way Larry Carr sees it, the store was doomed ever since April 4, 1991, the day it was taken over by four gunmen. Carr, executive director of the Florin Road Partnership, said he is not surprised the store closed.

"Ever since that day, the news coverage has never ended. Every year on the anniversary, the television stations were out in front of that store, doing another story and reminding people of it. All the media did it. That's a really good way to get somebody to go out of business," he said.

Fourteen years earlier, the gory ordeal began on a clear bright Thursday afternoon when four young Vietnamese refugees stormed the store waving pistols and presenting a wild array of demands, including millions of dollars and a large helicopter. They took 41 hostages, killed three and wounded 11.

I wasn't anywhere near this store on the day this happened, but in 1991 we had just moved to Sacramento, and I had actually just gotten a job at the Good Guys at the store up in Citrus Heights. That day, I wasn't at work. I was in downtown Sacramento, babysitting my nephew. He was in his stroller, and we were happily taking in the sights of the downtown, out of touch with anybody who might have news to share.

I got home around five that afternoon and found about eight answering machine messages, all from family, all in this eerie forced-casual tone of voice, telling me I really should call them and remind them which store I work for, right now please.

Sat at the TV for hours, until it was all over. The hostage-takers had agreed to let one girl out the front door - when the door opened, the SWAT team opened fire. Three gunmen died, along with two employees.

Later, several of the survivors were my coworkers. They didn't like to talk about it, but they would say things like this: they didn't like that the press always called that day an incident. The Good Guys incident. As if there was nothing more than a clean-up in the aisle that happened.

Anyway, an old memory came up today. I sincerely hope this is as close as I ever get to real violence.

Comments

[Anthony]

Good gravy I forgot all about that "incident." I was in New York at the time living in bizarre academic poverty and I think my father told me about it (or maybe I just saw it on the news at some point--I think it made national headlines).
I was in a restarant the other day and "Convoy" came on the sound system. I remember thinking "wow, that's a needless bit of nostalgia if there ever was one..."
Well, I think this falls into the same category. Does anyone remember a brief period in the late 80s/early 90s when the Berlin Wall fell, South Africa gave up the apartheid ghost and it briefly seemed as though the world was turning to the light? What the hell happened to that?

[maya]

So I had this realization the other day. Pretty obvious, but I think I'll share anyway. All the home electronics stores have alliterative names. Circuit City, Best Buy, Good Guys. What is that all about?

That story is really creeping me out right now.

[Jo]

Oh man, I'm so glad you weren't there for that... horrible. Safe! Safe in your cube!

[GraceD]

Whoa, dude! I remember this! I was feeling especially vulnerable about violence as I was pregnant with Molly at the time, and I recall watching the incident unfold on TV.

Also, the Oakland Fire got to me. Lots of gnarly gnightmares involving running through the burning eucalyptus tress with Baby Molly in my arms.