The manager of an El Cajon tattoo shop fought for his life in a battle against two robbery suspects early Monday.
After a day of renovations at Classic Tattoo on Broadway, Jimmy Blue decided to spend the night in the shop.
Around 2 a.m. Blue was awakened by two men robbing him at gunpoint.
He was hit in the head several times with a gun and suffered serious injuries to his head.
The suspects tried to take his motorcycle and money out of his pocket.
Blue told NBC 7 San Diego the battle lasted for almost 10 minutes and credits martial arts with saving his life.
"I put him in a guillotine, disarmed him and tried to get him out of the shop, by the time I got him, one dude ran scared and then the other guy was trying to save grace or save face or whatever," Blue said.
When El Cajon police arrived, officers approached the shop with assault rifles because they weren’t sure if the armed suspects were still inside.
The suspects had already escaped, and are still outstanding according to police.
Blue initially refused to be transported to the hospital and was treated on the scene by emergency personnel. A friend later took him to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego