Belt Buckle Saves Man From Bullet in Philadelphia Shootout

Store clerk hit by gunfire in shootout saved by metal belt buckle.

ByABC News
April 11, 2013, 1:29 PM

April 11, 2013— -- The metal on his belt buckle was what saved a Philadelphia store clerk from a stray bullet ricocheting from a shootout that erupted in front of the store where he was working, police said.

When gunfire broke out just before 4 p.m. Wednesday, Bienvenido Reynoso said he quickly realized what was happening outside and dropped to the floor.

But when a bullet entered the store and struck Reynoso's belt, it became lodged in the buckle, which kept Reynoso from getting hit.

Moments after he dropped to the floor, a bullet hit a pound cake that had been near where he was standing.

"I went outside and heard the shots and I hit the floor," Reynoso told ABC station WPVI. "I didn't feel nothing. ... I was checking out my body."

Reynoso said he was "born again" after the close call.

One man involved in the shooting was hit by a bullet and taken to a local hospital with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.

Two police officers chased a suspect, Edward Lyons, 24, who they took into custody. He is charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault.