GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — A man who has been a problem for a store in Michigan decided to pay them a visit again, and it’s the prefect story of self-defense and the mental illness crisis that has been plaguing our nation.
The suspect, 33-year-old Lonnie Griffin, is believed by the store owner, Chris Boden, to suffer from a mental illness.
As reported by wzzm13.com;
Boden is concerned that Griffin is mentally ill. Back in August, he showed up at the facility looking for a female employee. Boden convinced Griffin to put handcuffs on and asked him why he drove all the way to Michigan from Arizona. He said to “see his wife”. He went on to say that his wife was an employee at Geek Group and they had been married for “a billion years”.
Amy is not Griffin’s wife, but according to Boden he has shown up to her house in the past.
“He found her house that she had just moved into, so this wasn’t public anywhere, and showed up at her house, the second time that happened the police didn’t take him into custody, they gave him a ride downtown and then let him go,” says Boden.
The video above shows Griffin walking into the store, Geek Group, and employees immediately recognize him and call police, as well as alert the owner.
When Boden and Griffin finally meet, Griffin is seen punching him in the face. In turn, Boden produces a firearm and points it at Griffin, making him retreat.
As stated, this isn’t the first time that the company has had problems with Griffin. Just a few months ago, the incident below took place:
After the most recent incident, Boden shared the whole story on his Facebook profile, and we can see how important it was that Boden kept a cool head. He knew that Griffin was struggling with mental illness and needed help.
In a nutshell, Griffin was a fan of the company and their videos for years, and would comment often on new videos. He then visited the company, and soon became somewhat obsessed with one of their employees to the point where he believed that she was his wife. Mind you, Griffin lives in Arizona and would travel all the way to Michigan multiple times just to visit the company, and even show up at the woman’s home.
Boden is right to place blame on the system, because Griffin is not –and may never– get the help that he needs and will likely continue with what he’s been doing.
WZZM 13 did find out that Griffin has a criminal past. He was charged with assault in Maricopa, County Arizona in 2016. After being convicted on the charge he spent a little over a year in prison and was released from in February of 2017. Griffin is no longer on probation.
In Kent County, Griffin is now charged with trespassing and assault and battery. Boden says he is concerned that Griffin is not being treated for mental illness and is a danger to society.
In the end, it may be up to armed citizens to protect themselves and others when they are forced to handle these situations.
And God forbid if this man ever turns and shoots someone, the gun will be the first to get the blame. It won’t be a mental illness problem. It’ll be a gun problem.
Brandon is the founder of Concealed Nation and is an avid firearm enthusiast, with a particular interest in responsible concealed carry. His EDC is a Springfield Armory Hellcat OSP, with a Shield Sights RMSC Red Dot, that holds Hornady 165 gr FTX Critical Defense rounds, and rides comfortably in a Vedder Holsters ComfortTuck IWB holster.
