There is never a shortage of heroism when a military veteran is near, even in a Walgreens at 2 a.m.

Early Thursday morning, Carl Jerome Howell entered a Walgreens in Jacksonville and demanded that the store clerk unload the cash register. Howell threatened to kill the clerk and claimed that he had a weapon in his pocket.

It was when Howell reached into his pocket that a nearby Navy veteran, Maurice Cooper, sprang into action and tackled the thief to the ground. In the ensuing fight, Cooper stabbed Howell in the back with his pocket knife out of fear for his life. He held Howell to the ground until the police arrived.

When the police turned out Howell’s pockets, they found only a glass pipe and a screw driver. According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Howell has been smoking various drugs and hadn’t slept or ate for days.

Thanks to Cooper’s actions, no one was seriously harmed in the incident and Howell now faces an armed robbery charge.