Hashim Fannin refuses to play the victim role.
When a would-be carjacker hopped into his car in Atlanta earlier this month, Fannin took action.
The suspect, later identified as 61-year-old Edgar Horn, slid into Fannin's passenger seat in an Atlanta parking lot and told Fannin "You know what this is," Fannin recalled to ABC News.
But Fannin pulled out a gun himself.
Georgia Man Turns the Tables on an Attempted Carjacker LA Carjacking, Police Chase Ends in Capture"By the time he sits down, you know, I've drawn down on him," Fannin said. "At that point, his whole demeanor changes. And now suddenly, you're sorry."
"In so many words, I asked him to get out of the car," Fannin added. "Probably not that nicely."
Fannin said Horn got out of the car and apologized, saying he would leave. But when Horn headed to his own car, Fannin told him he wasn't going anywhere.
"We don't ... try to rob people and then leave," Fannin told ABC News. "That's not how this is going to work."
Fannin said as he kept Horn on the ground, the would-be carjacker told him he was sorry and made a mistake.
"I don't like the victim role too much," Fanning said.
"You went to bed and woke up an idiot?" Fannin recalled telling Horn. "You messed up -- big time."
When police arrived, cell phone video showed Fannin waving police over then calmly dropping his weapon. Horn was arrested for attempted robbery, according to a police report.
Ralph Woolfolk of the Atlanta Police Department told ABC News via email today: "Every situation is unique. Generally speaking, we advise citizens to take themselves out of harm’s way and to contact 911, so that police may respond to the situation."