An armed and drunk DoorDash driver showed up at a Vancouver, Washington, home demanding a tip for a grocery delivery — leading to a life-or-death struggle with a grandfather who wrestled the gun away as his terrified family looked on.
The harrowing incident took place the morning of May 28 as homeowner Anthony Volino was sitting down to eat breakfast with his daughter and grandchildren. That’s when 59-year-old Robert Delehant banged on their front door, claiming he was the delivery driver from the previous night, back to collect a cash tip.
Volino said his daughter had ordered about $100 in groceries using a SNAP card through the DoorDash app. She told Delehant she had already tipped him digitally — and reminded him that tips can’t be applied with SNAP. But the delivery man made it clear he wasn’t going anywhere until he was paid in cash.
“He can’t make that decision that I am going somebody’s house to get a cash tip,” Volino told reporters afterward.
Volino said he was fed up and began approaching to dismiss the man, but that’s when he smelled the strong scent of alcohol on his breath. “For a split second, I thought about giving the guy a couple of dollars, but when he again said, ‘I want my tip,’ that’s when I said, ‘Whoa, whoa.’ I said, ‘You need to leave,’” Volino told KGW.
Instead of backing down, Delehant allegedly came further into the doorway. Volino had to quickly man up to hold the intruder at bay. “As we tussled, you know, at that point he said, ‘Oh, it’s going to be like that,’ and he reached behind him. When I saw him reach behind him, I knew he was going for some kind of weapon. I wasn’t going to wait to find out what that weapon was,” Volino said.
“I reached behind him, and I felt the steel in his waistband, and as soon as I felt the gun in his waistband, my heart just sank,” he told KPTV. “The only thing on my mind was I have to get this gun away from him. I’m in a struggle for my life at this point. That’s what I’m thinking. It’s me or him.”
The doorbell camera captured the chaotic scene as the struggle spilled into the front yard. Volino is seen pushing Delehant to the ground and disarming him before dumping out the bullets. He then ordered the man to leave and told his daughter to call 911.
Both men called the police, and officers arrested Delehant soon after. He is now facing charges of felony harassment, assault, and driving under the influence.
During the commotion, the gun never fired — but Volino said the incident could have easily gone another way. “I could have been shot, my kids could have been shot. If he would have got his hands on that gun, somebody could have gotten hurt. I still can’t believe it happened.”
Volino said he has since discovered similar incidents involving delivery drivers and is concerned about growing risks for families. “Since this incident happened, I have found several incidents online — DoorDash delivery drivers assaulting people – Detroit. Last year in Houston. I keep finding these stories online, and I haven’t seen anything done about it as it continues to happen.”
DoorDash confirmed Delehant was one of its drivers and said he was immediately fired.
“What happened was unacceptable and the dash involved was immediately deactivated,” the company said in a statement to local outlets. While DoorDash noted drivers are allowed to respectfully remind customers about tips, it stressed it has a strict zero-tolerance policy for harassment.
Volino said the company still hasn’t contacted him — and he’s now taking steps to tighten security around his home. He also urged other families who use delivery services to be vigilant.
