Now THAT'S a gun ...

FRAMINGHAM

A would-be robber who flashed a pistol and demanded cash from a Framingham grocery store clerk Monday night found himself instead staring at a rude surprise: a bigger gun, police said.

After looking at the robber's .22 Ruger, the clerk at A & J grocery on Kendall Street grabbed a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun and loaded a bullet into the chamber, police told Globe correspondent Emily A. Canal for a report in the Globe's Local News Updates blog on Boston.com.

As the failed robber fled, the clerk pulled the trigger, shooting a bullet that missed the man but hit an ATM machine and a door inside the store, police said.

"After the suspect was shot at, he proceeded to flee on foot toward Freeman Street," said Lieutenant Paul Shastany of the Framingham Police Department. "We searched the area to the best of our ability but could not locate the suspect."

Police did not release the name of the clerk, who is in his 40s. The robbery suspect was described as a black male with medium to dark colored skin who was between the ages of 18 and 25. He is approximately 5 feet 8 and 165 pounds and was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.

The shooting at about 9:30 p.m. remains under investigation.