Three armed crooks bust into residence, and homeowner drops his handgun. But victim retrieves AK-47-style weapon, starts firing, and crooks run for their lives.



A homeowner in Pensacola, Florida, won't be charged after firing an AK-47-style weapon at three accused home invaders, WKRG-TV reported.

What are the details?

The homeowner was alone his Pinestead Road residence at 11:42 p.m. Thursday when three men — one armed with a gun — pushed their way inside, the Pensacola News Journal reported.

Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said the homeowner apparently pulled his own handgun from his waistband but dropped it, the News Journal reported.

One of the intruders picked up the handgun, but the homeowner was able to run to a back room and retrieve an "AK-47-style" weapon, Simmons added, according to the paper.

"He started shooting for his own protection, to get them out of his house and to protect himself," the sheriff said, according to the News Journal.

The intruders fled the home, but investigators identified two suspects — Antonio DeWayne Dean Jr., 18, and Da'Torrance Leanders Hackworth, 20 — and issued warrants related to the home invasion for both of them, the paper said.

Dean has active warrants for other alleged offenses, including domestic violence battery, carjacking, aggravated assaults with a firearm, and robbery with a firearm, Simmons told the News Journal.

Image source: Escambia County Sheriff's Office Facebook video screenshot

What about the third suspect?

Simmons told the paper authorities received "a report of a third individual that had a wound to the head not long after [the home invasion]. The stories he's giving us as to how he got shot in the head are inconsistent at best. In short, we don't believe him." Simmons added to the News Journal that investigators are now trying to determine if this person also was involved in the home invasion.

While Simmons didn't name the third individual, the sheriff told the paper the man's injury wasn't life-threatening.

No charges against homeowner

Simmons also told the News Journal that the homeowner would "absolutely not" be charged for shooting at the home invasion suspects.

"The homeowner's protecting himself, and in Florida, in Escambia County, you can protect yourself," Simmons noted, according to the paper.

WKRG added that the incident is being investigated as a stand-your-ground case.

Sex offender wanted for shooting sheriff's deputy breaks into home with Trump 2020 flag flying outside — and homeowner kills him in shootout



An armed sex offender — wanted for shooting a Florida sheriff's deputy and who was said to have an "evil mindset" and was out to "kill and destroy"— made the last mistake of his life when he broke into a home flying a Trump 2020 flag Wednesday morning.

What are the details?

The Dixie County Sheriff's Office said it assisted the Taylor County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday about 9:45 p.m. after it was reported that a Taylor County deputy was shot during a traffic stop. Dixie County deputies and other agencies searched all night for the suspect without success.

Then on Wednesday around 7:20 a.m., Dixie County deputies responded to a call from a homeowner who said he shot an intruder. The homeowner told arriving deputies he exchanged gunfire with the suspect who'd entered the home. The suspect, Gregory Miedema, was dead at the scene. Miedema was suspected of shooting the Taylor County deputy Tuesday night.

An official told WCTV-TV the Steinhatchee homeowner was shot while protecting himself during the break-in and was taken to a hospital with minor injuries and was expected to be released soon.

Crime scene tape outside the Dixie County home where the suspect at the center of last night's Blue Alert was shot and killed by the homeowner. The homeowner was also injured, but is expected to be released from the hospital soon. Photo from Dixie County Sheriff's Office. @WCTV https://twitter.com/KatieKaplanTV/status/1496563906931834880\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/TyPlFQKDJC
— Katie Kaplan (@Katie Kaplan) 1645644569

'An evil mindset'

Deputies also found at the scene the suspect’s vehicle and several firearms strategically placed in what appeared to be an ambush setup, the sheriff's office said.

During a subsequent press conference, Dixie County Sheriff Darby Butler said he believes Miedema "had an evil mindset; his thought process was to kill and destroy innocent people, and fortunately he did not succeed in that."

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd had nothing but praise for the homeowner who took out Miedema, telling WTVT-TV that "when you break into a house of a stranger and you're shot — shot and killed — that's on you. The homeowner did exactly what he should have done, and that's protect himself, his family, and his home."

What do we know about the dead suspect?

Miedema, 33, was a registered sex offender in the state. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s said Miedema was convicted in 2011 while serving the in the U.S. Army on one count of "lewd or lascivious battery, intercourse with a victim 12 to 15 years old" and one count of possession of child pornography. The sheriff's office added that Miedema was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison followed by two months of probation.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

What happened to the wounded deputy?

The Taylor County Sheriff's Office identified the wounded deputy as Troy Andersen, who was part of the K9 unit, WCTV said. The station added that he was airlifted to a hospital and was undergoing reconstructive surgery on his face and was in stable condition.

Anything else?

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a "Blue Alert" for Miedema around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday after he shot the Taylor County sheriff's deputy in Perry, WTVT said.

The station said the Blue Alert notification system has been in place for a decade to alert the public when a law enforcement officer is seriously hurt, killed, or missing in the line of duty. It was only the fourth time a Blue Alert had been issued.

"It's immediately 'all hands on deck' because something terrible has happened to a law enforcement officer, and the suspects are not in custody," Judd added to WTVT, also noting that "if you shoot at a law enforcement officer — an armed law enforcement officer — or you're trying to kill them, no one is safe."

Florida man kills armed intruder wanted for shooting deputy during traffic stopyoutu.be

Homeowner exchanges gunfire with pair of would-be burglars in middle of night. Homeowner's aim is much better.



Chalk up yet another crook who's learned the often painful lesson that fewer and fewer Americans are succumbing to victimhood as more and more of them take charge of their own protection, put the Second Amendment into practice, and arm themselves with guns.

What happened?

Sheriff's deputies said two individuals attempted to burglarize a home in Joshua Tree, California, just after 1 a.m. Monday, the Hi-Desert Star reported. At least one of the burglars was armed with a gun.

Unfortunately for the crooks, the homeowner also had a gun at the ready.

And after the homeowner confronted the burglars, a shootout ensued at the home in the 6000 block of Del Oro Road, the paper said.

When the smoke cleared, one of the burglars — 36-year-old Joshua Watson of Apple Valley — was shot in the leg, the Star said.

The homeowner was not hurt, the paper added.

The whereabouts of Watson's unnamed accomplice aren't clear.

Several people called 911 to report the shooting, the Star noted.

“There was an exchange of gunfire between the homeowner and either Watson or his unknown friend,” Sgt. Scott Stafford told the paper. “At this point we are still trying to figure out who it was.”

What happened next?

Watson was treated for his injuries and arrested for attempted burglary, weapon charges, and a probation violation, the Star said, adding that he was booked into the West Valley Detention Center without bail.

Turns out this wasn't the first time Watson had a run-in with the law. The paper said he also faces charges for inflicting corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant and making criminal threats in a case filed last May.

The Star said court dates for the burglary charges had not been set.

Anything else?

Those with information for the investigation should call Deputy J. Galindo at the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Morongo Basin Station, at 760-366-4175 or leave an anonymous tip at 888-782-7463, the paper said.