Retired Florida police officer flashes his old badge to scare off two AK-47-wielding thieves

Two men wielding AK-47 assault rifles attempted to carjack a man behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Corvette in the parking lot of a Florida paint store on Tuesday – but their efforts were thwarted when the driver turned out to retired cop.

The driver of the sports car pulled into the lot outside of Ben’s Paint Supply in Lakeland, Florida, when suddenly two masked men ran up to his window, brandishing the rifles and yelling at him to get out of the car.

‘We literally saw everything step by step and it was terrifying,’ an employee of the store, Sally Crisp told Fox 13. 

‘They were yelling at him and trying to open the door and they even took the rifle and was hitting the glass and everything, trying to get the gentleman to get out of his car.’

A surveillance camera inside the store shows the men stood at the driver’s door

The driver of the Corvette, however, stayed calm and didn’t get out of the vehicle.

Choosing his moment carefully, the ex-cop – who hasn’t be named – then flashed his old police badge at the would-be thieves, prompting them to swiftly run away.

‘He had his wallet in his lap because he was getting ready to come in and pay and he opened it up and he flashed his badge and they took off,’ Crisp said.

After little more than 10 seconds, the ordeal was over and the thieves had disappeared.

Crisp said the reality of the situation didn’t really set in until police arrived at the scene to take statements.

‘It hit me and my coworker and we both kind of just started to cry, like “whoa, that really happened,”’ she said.

‘This could have been the worst day ever but we were very lucky that it turned out the way that it did. So I just hope that they catch them.’

The driver of the sports car pulled into the lot outside of Ben’s Paint Supply in Lakeland, Florida, when suddenly two masked men ran up to his window, brandishing the rifles and yelling at him to get out of the car

A panicked store worker Sally Crisp runs to lock the door after spotting the men

‘It hit me and my coworker and we both kind of just started to cry, like “whoa, that really happened,”’ Sally Crisp said

The brief but terrifying incident was captured on two CCTV cameras both inside and outside the store, the footage of which has since been turned over to police.

Nobody was injured in the ordeal, but officers from the Lakeland PD say they’re still on the hunt for the two suspects, launching an appeal on social media for help.

The men were said to have been seen fleeing from the scene in a ‘black or dark charcoal gray GMC Acadia.’

The vehicle has since been found but the perpetrators have not.

The two men were described by the department as ‘two black males approximately 5’7″, 150 lbs., wearing all black clothing with handkerchief’s covering their nose/mouths.’

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Detective Ted Sealey at 863.834.5991 or to remain anonymous, contact Heartland Crime Stoppers Florida on 1-800-226 TIPS (8477).