SAN DIEGO -- A clerk at a City Heights-area liquor store foiled a would-be armed robber when he pulled his own gun out from behind the counter, authorities said Friday.

The gunman entered T & M Liquor & Market in the 4200 block of El Cajon Boulevard shortly before 11:30 p.m. Thursday and pointed a pistol at the clerk, demanding cash, according to San Diego police.

The clerk, behind a bulletproof-glass partition, responded by pulling out his own handgun and pointing it at the ceiling, prompting the man to run away, said San Diego police Sgt. Rich Nemetz.