The following happened this past Fall and I thought I'd get everyones input on the situation. Sorry if it is a long read.
I work 4 10 hour days, so I'm off every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I always get up around 8:30am on Fridays to eat breakfast with and see my wife off to work when she leaves at 9:40. I live in a fairly nice residential neighborhood that has extremely low crime. So I'm not continually "on the lookout" for trouble... but this particular Friday morning I notice a strange car in the neighborhood that keeps going around my block. At about 9:20am the car backs into my neighbor's (directly across the road from my house) driveway, the driver gets out.. raises the trunk, walks up to the front door and proceeds to kick it open in one swift kick! I'm utterly speechless at what I've just witnessed. I run to the bedroom where my wife is getting ready for work and tell her to call 911, that someone has just broke into Janet's house (single mother of two boys 5 and 8). I knew she wasn't home at the time, she leaves early to take the boys to school/daycare and then to work.
Knowing the response time of the local PD is fairly long and this appeared to be a guy that was in a big hurry to "grab and dash" I decided that I was going to stop him and hold him for the police. I pulled on some jeans and shoes really quickly, grabbed my Springfield 1911, stuck it in the small of my back and went back to my front door. The guy was on his way from the rear of his car, going back into the house again. I waited until he was back in the house and ran thru my front yard, across the road and stopped behind a large tree in Janet's front yard. The tree is about 20ft from the sidewalk out into the yard and almost half way between the front door and the driveway where the car is parked. I'll admit I was terrified and starting to second guess my idea. At this time the guy walks out of the house with a microwave, right down the sidewalk past where I'm behind the tree and starts towards his car. When he is about 15 feet past the tree, I walk out from behind it and say "Hey There, what's going on??!!" The guy spins to face me (still holding the microwave) and has a very surprised look on his face. I have not drawn my weapon at this point. I tell him to set the microwave down and to sit down beside it, I have called the police and they are on the way. He mumbled something, turned around and started back towards the car quickly. He dropped the microwave in the trunk and closed it. During this time I advanced towards the car with him while keeping about 15ft or so distance between us. When he turned from closing the trunk, he faced me again and I ordered him to stop once more. He replied that he was leaving and that I needed to mind my own business. At this point I pulled the handgun from behind me and pointed it at him... telling him once more to sit on the ground... NOW! I fully expected him to comply at this point, but he looked right at me and said, "NO!.. what are you going to do.. Shoot me??" He turned from me, ran over to the car and jumped in while I orded him to stop two more times. I didn't know if he had a weapon in the car or not, so didn't pursue him to the car door. He started the car up and drove off.. I took note of the vehicle description and tag number as he left. Shortly there after the PD arrived. I gave the description and tag number to them, they knew exactly who I described and later that day picked him up at his house.
Tell me what I did wrong.. besides not staying in my house and minding my own business.
Would you protect your neighbor's property? Btw, this woman is one of our very good friends too.. not just a "neighbor".
I work 4 10 hour days, so I'm off every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I always get up around 8:30am on Fridays to eat breakfast with and see my wife off to work when she leaves at 9:40. I live in a fairly nice residential neighborhood that has extremely low crime. So I'm not continually "on the lookout" for trouble... but this particular Friday morning I notice a strange car in the neighborhood that keeps going around my block. At about 9:20am the car backs into my neighbor's (directly across the road from my house) driveway, the driver gets out.. raises the trunk, walks up to the front door and proceeds to kick it open in one swift kick! I'm utterly speechless at what I've just witnessed. I run to the bedroom where my wife is getting ready for work and tell her to call 911, that someone has just broke into Janet's house (single mother of two boys 5 and 8). I knew she wasn't home at the time, she leaves early to take the boys to school/daycare and then to work.
Knowing the response time of the local PD is fairly long and this appeared to be a guy that was in a big hurry to "grab and dash" I decided that I was going to stop him and hold him for the police. I pulled on some jeans and shoes really quickly, grabbed my Springfield 1911, stuck it in the small of my back and went back to my front door. The guy was on his way from the rear of his car, going back into the house again. I waited until he was back in the house and ran thru my front yard, across the road and stopped behind a large tree in Janet's front yard. The tree is about 20ft from the sidewalk out into the yard and almost half way between the front door and the driveway where the car is parked. I'll admit I was terrified and starting to second guess my idea. At this time the guy walks out of the house with a microwave, right down the sidewalk past where I'm behind the tree and starts towards his car. When he is about 15 feet past the tree, I walk out from behind it and say "Hey There, what's going on??!!" The guy spins to face me (still holding the microwave) and has a very surprised look on his face. I have not drawn my weapon at this point. I tell him to set the microwave down and to sit down beside it, I have called the police and they are on the way. He mumbled something, turned around and started back towards the car quickly. He dropped the microwave in the trunk and closed it. During this time I advanced towards the car with him while keeping about 15ft or so distance between us. When he turned from closing the trunk, he faced me again and I ordered him to stop once more. He replied that he was leaving and that I needed to mind my own business. At this point I pulled the handgun from behind me and pointed it at him... telling him once more to sit on the ground... NOW! I fully expected him to comply at this point, but he looked right at me and said, "NO!.. what are you going to do.. Shoot me??" He turned from me, ran over to the car and jumped in while I orded him to stop two more times. I didn't know if he had a weapon in the car or not, so didn't pursue him to the car door. He started the car up and drove off.. I took note of the vehicle description and tag number as he left. Shortly there after the PD arrived. I gave the description and tag number to them, they knew exactly who I described and later that day picked him up at his house.
Tell me what I did wrong.. besides not staying in my house and minding my own business.
Would you protect your neighbor's property? Btw, this woman is one of our very good friends too.. not just a "neighbor".