Daniel Gaskey is a former Marine turned firefighter who stopped into his neighborhood gas station in Midlothian, Texas, one morning to get a cup of coffee before heading to work.

He had no idea his usual morning ritual was about to take a perilous turn.

Daniel was going to pay at the register when a 19-year-old man shoved him out of the way.

The former Marine only saw the man was wearing a mask and brandishing a hunting knife when he turned around.

«This will be quick and simple. «Just give me the cash,» the masked man instructed the cashier.

The robber had no idea, but he was about to find out the hard way that Daniel was a former Marine who should not be messed with!

Daniel grabbed the youngster from behind, threw his arms around his neck, and tackled him to the ground, thinking quickly.

The experienced Marine managed to pin the robber until police arrived minutes later.

«Sometimes there’s a job that needs to get done,» Daniel explained.

«You have to be willing to stand up and help each other.»

Those who knew Daniel were not surprised by his bravery, but they were also extremely proud of him.

“I saw the video for the first time this morning and I went, ‘This wasn’t just, ‘I’ll hang on until the police get here.’ He intervened and made a difference in someone’s life,” said the Mansfield fire chief Barry Bondurant.