80-year-old scares robber in 'Scream' mask by firing gun

CAMDEN, S.C., July 19 (UPI) -- An elderly laundromat owner in South Carolina managed to scare off an attempted robber wearing a mask from a horror movie.

Police reported that a man wearing a mask from the movie Scream walked into the laundromat armed with a gun and demanded that the owner hand over the store's cash box.

The owner, 80-year-old Abraham Brown, told the suspect that he could take the box but then followed him out of the store and fired his 25-caliber pistol in the air.

The masked suspect became so startled by the sound of the gunshot that he dropped the box before running into a nearby vehicle.

Brown was reportedly able to retrieve the box and police are investigating the attempted robbery.