Not too long ago, we shared a story of an Army vet who disarmed a knife-wielding assailant in a library. Though this vet was wounded in the altercation, he was able to provide one piece of advice: “Sometimes old guys aren’t as easy of a target as you may think.”

If only he had told that to the would-be mugger of Vietnam veteran Victor Bejarano of Fresno.

Bejarno was outside an autoparts store when a woman got out of a nearby SUV and demanded his wallet. He refused to hand it over and ended up wrestling with the mugger.

“In the beginning she told me, ‘You wouldn’t hit a woman,’ and I said, ‘You’re not a woman. I mean, you’re attacking me,'” the 73-year-old said.

Though she was both taller and heavier than the veteran, Bejarno successfully fought her off. During the entire event, other patrons watched him almost get robbed without trying to intervene, even when the two were struggling over the counter. The altercation was caught on camera.

Berjarno told the news that he had lost his wallet six months ago, and he didn’t want to go through the process of replacing everything inside a second time. After he escaped to safety, the mugger took off in her car.