Police received a call from a 15-year-old girl claiming there was someone trying to get into her house while she was home alone. She reported that she heard the front door jiggle, looked out the window and saw two men there. One man managed to get into the garage where he was attempting to steal a pickup truck. After retrieving her father’s handgun, the girl confronted the man in the garage causing him to immediately flee. His accomplice, who had already made his way inside and was ransacking the contents of the home, quickly followed suit. (The Daily News, Texas City, Texas, 1/15/12)
The Armed Citizen Extra
(The following account did not appear in the print version of American Rifleman.)
A 25-year-old Bedford Heights, Ohio, homeowner spotted an intruder breaking into a neighbor’s home, which prompted a quick call to 9-1-1. The homeowner remained on the phone while he confronted the intruder, who had climbed through a broken kitchen window. The intruder proceeded to grab a kitchen knife and threaten the homeowner, who retrieved a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and fired. The intruder was taken to the MetroHealth Medical Center for treatment and is in the custody of the Bedford Heights police. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, 4/25/12)
From The Armed Citizen Archives
April 1980: Two men, one carrying a crowbar, entered a Norwich, N.Y., motorcycle shop, approached the owner’s son, and asked to see an item from a wall display. When owner Loren Frink walked into the room and saw his son being beaten with the crowbar, he drew his pistol and fired. The would-be robbers fled unharmed but soon were arrested. (The Sun-Bulletin, Binghamton, N.Y. 1/23)