Jogger targeted in robbery saved by weighted vest, metal coffee cup (VIDEO)

A man out for an early morning run in his Cedar Hill, Texas, neighborhood Tuesday found himself face to face with an armed robber, but the man fought back with the only thing he had – a metal coffee cup.

The incident unfolded around 5:40 a.m. and part of it was caught on surveillance video.

James Rathbun said he was jogging, training for an upcoming race, when he noticed the suspect. At first, Rathbun thought nothing of it, gave the man a friendly wave, and said good morning as he passed. Rathbun was wearing earbuds during his run and didn’t immediately understand the suspect’s response.

“He said, ‘Give me your wallet.’ But I was thinking he said, ‘Give me some water.’ So I said, ‘I just have coffee,’” Rathbun recalled. “So, then he slaps me and I’m like, wait a minute…”

Rathbun removed his earbuds and the suspect again asked for the man’s wallet. Rathbun said he didn’t have one and was promptly slapped again. At that point, Rathbun fought back, striking the suspect in the face with his 32 oz. stainless steel coffee tumbler.

A fight ensued and as the two men fell to the ground, Rathbun heard two gunshots. Rathbun was struck in the shoulder, but a second bullet narrowly missed his back when it became lodged in a weighted vest he was wearing to train for the upcoming race.

Rathbun said a detective told him the shot stopped by the vest could have easily been a fatal one.

“He said that would have been a kidney or a liver shot,” Rathbun said. “Good thing I wore the vest this morning.”

Rathbun is expected to recover, but the suspect got away – empty-handed and covered in coffee.

[ CBS DFW ]