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Walgreens Clerk Held At Gunpoint Thankful To Be Alive

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - It was a terrifying moment Daihana Lugo will never forget.  The Walgreens employee held up and gun point early Tuesday morning while on the job spoke to CBS4's Marybel Rodriguez.

What goes through your mind when you see this picture?  Rodriguez asked. Lugo, in Spanish, responded that she can't believe that she is alive she thanks God. She believes it was her faith that helped her get through that moment—keeping her calm.

It was early Tuesday when Lugo, a mother and grandmother, almost lost her life.  She was sitting outside of the Walgreens on NW 27 Avenue and Flagler Street where she had taken a part time job just three weeks ago.  While outside with the manager and another female employee, Lugo says 27-year-old Adrian Montesano came out of nowhere and approached her with a gun. Lugo told Rodriguez that Montesano grabbed her gently. She said he was not violent, instead he grabbed her gently and said, in Spanish, 'come in, mami.'

They went inside and that is when Lugo said Montesano began yelling and demanding money. He threatened her that he was going to kill her if she didn't cooperate.

During the whole ordeal, Lugo said she actually tried talking to Montesano, telling him to not do this that Christ loved him, but she does not believe he heard her because he was going crazy yelling, she said.

Lugo said Montesano fired two shots inside the Walgreens and demanded the security guard's wallet and finally let her go.

Montesano took off and later died in a wild shootout with police.

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It wasn't easy, Lugo said, but she thanks God that she's alive. When she heard that Montesano had died, she told Rodriguez she felt bad for him and his family.

Lugo does not plan on returning to work at Walgreens. She said the manager has called her a number of times to check-up on her and told her if she ever wanted to return she is always welcome.

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