Man opens fire on armed suspected intruder — outside neighbor's home: 'We've always told people not to mess around down here'

Authorities responded to a call about a suspicious person just before 11 p.m. Monday in Grover, North Carolina, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office said.

A homeowner in the 100 block of Mallard Drive went outside after noticing lights on in an adjacent home that was being remodeled, officials said.

'We’ll do what we have to do to protect our homes.'

The homeowner knew that lights shouldn’t be on in the home and suspected a break-in, officials said.

Soon the homeowner saw a male wearing a yellow sweatshirt carrying something, officials said. The homeowner confronted the male, who responded by shooting at the homeowner, officials said.

The homeowner was not shot but called 911, officials said.

Image source: Cleveland County (N.C.) Sheriff’s Office

A second neighbor heard the gunshots and came outside to check on the commotion, officials said.

This neighbor also encountered the male subject, and the neighbor shot at him after it appeared that the male was about to open fire at the neighbor, officials said.

The male suspect ran away and fled in an Audi, officials said.

“We’ve always told people not to mess around down here because we’ll do what we have to do to protect our homes,” Clayton Campbell, who lives on Mallard Drive, told WBTV-TV. “And the people who came messing around last night realized we weren’t playing when we said that.”

The sheriff's office said it didn't have confirmation that anyone was injured in the incident, which is still under investigation.

“Last night could have went different," Campbell added to WBTV. "Nobody was hurt from our end, so that’s all that matters."

Officials said a search for those who were inside the Audi continues.

Those with information about this case can call the sheriff’s office at 704-484-4822 or Crime Stoppers at 704-481-8477, officials said, adding that all tip submissions through Crime Stoppers will remain anonymous.

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3 intruders — 1 armed — reportedly run into home. But homeowner also has a gun — and only 2 intruders run back out.

Police in Miami Gardens, Florida, told WTVJ-TV they got word of a possible home invasion in the 3000 block of Northwest 204th Terrace shortly before noon Monday.

Police said three individuals — one armed with a rifle — entered the home, the station said.

'I guess he was defending his daughter from the three people who went inside.'

However, as one of the intruders opened a bedroom door, a victim opened fire, hitting one of the intruders in the arm, WTVJ reported.

The two other intruders fled the scene, the station said, and Miami-Fire Rescue airlifted the wounded subject to Aventura Hospital.

The wounded individual's condition is unknown, WTVJ noted, and no other injuries were reported.

A man who lives at the house told the station that he and others who were inside at the time of the home invasion are OK, but he didn’t want to comment further.

A teenager who didn't want to be identified added to WTVJ that she watched from her bedroom window as three people ran inside the house — and when just two of them ran back out.

“I saw them shooting toward the porch, then running to the car, then the father shot four times,” the teen told the station. “It was loud, it was right there, across the street, boom, boom, boom, boom.”

The teen added to WTVJ that two men who were inside the house also ran outside: “He was standing outside of the house. He was defending the house. He said, 'That's my daughter; I have no money,' so I guess he was defending his daughter from the three people who went inside."

A woman who lives down the street added to the station that after she heard gunshots, she saw a car speeding by and someone with a face covering: “I saw the car zooming, and the guy was running behind the car, and I thought he was running after the car because I saw him with a gun in his hand. I was shocked. I was surprised."

WTVJ said the search for the two other subjects is ongoing.

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Florida man trained in MMA beats up home intruder: 'Only God and my hands. That's it.'

A man defended his family's home when an intruder was found in the living room.

Henny Rojas was staying at his sister's house while she and her husband were in Miami last weekend; Rojas was there supervising his teenage nephew.

'Protect your family because the demon is outside.'

On Saturday morning, the teenager allegedly called his mother in a panic while trying to wake up his uncle, Rojas, to tell him there was a stranger in the living room.

"Uncle, uncle, wake up. Wake up!" Rojas recalled his nephew saying.

WPEC-TV reported that the man had forced his way into the home, but Rojas, who has allegedly trained in mixed martial arts for three years, met him with a pummeling.

"I'm prepared. It's not my first time," Rojas declared. "I don't feel [feel] any pain, nothing."

According to WPEC, witnesses reported that as the encounter escalated, Rojas used boxing, wrestling, and kicking techniques to subdue the suspect.

"I don't like guns. I don't [go] looking for a knife or nothing. Only God and and my hands. That's it," Rojas reiterated.

After police subdued the suspect, he said his intrusion into the home was a simple mistake.

The suspect, 31-year-old Austin Caresani, arrived in court with visible bruises all over his face; one of his eyes was swollen, while the other was black and purple.

Caresani told police he had been drinking at a nearby club and only accidentally entered the residence. He claimed he was actually trying to get a friend's house.

In court, Caresani invoked his right to remain silent before a judge revealed that he had been charged with home invasion. The suspect was reportedly still in jail as of Wednesday.

Rojas said he would not have changed a single thing about what happened that night, but provided parting words for the viewers at home.

"Protect your family because the demon is outside. A lot of crazy people. He don't believe in God. He only looking for damage," he said.

Rojas did not appear to have any formal MMA fighting history when his name was searched on multiple MMA athlete-tracking sites.

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Gun-toting woman opens fire on career criminal amid alleged home burglary. Now crook's career is over.

An Alabama woman fatally shot a male amid an alleged home burglary Sunday night in Decatur, WZDX-TV reported.

A dispatch call indicated a woman said her house was being robbed, and that a male was heard screaming in the background.

State records show Brinkley served time for offenses, including first-degree robbery, third-degree burglary, possession of a pistol by a convicted felon, and distribution of a controlled substance, WZDX noted.

WAFF-TV said it picked up the following from a dispatch phone call: “10-4 units responding to the burglary in progress, 22nd Avenue caller now advising it was a black male wearing a white shirt armed with a firearm. The caller now advises she has shot that male; he is currently laying on the ground.”

A dispatch call also noted the woman shot the male in the chest and that he was "not conscious, not breathing."

Decatur police officers responded around 7:30 p.m. to the report of a burglary in progress in the 1200 block of 22nd Avenue SW, and police said they were informed the caller shot the male suspect, WZDX reported.

When officers arrived, the male was found inside the residence with apparent gunshot wounds, and Morgan County Coroner Jeff Chunn pronounced him dead at the scene, WZDX noted.

Chunn on Tuesday identified the male as 46-year-old Narado Brinkley, and WZDX said his criminal past includes drug and burglary convictions.

His records also indicate multiple probation violations, and he most recently served five months after a 2023 conviction on drug and burglary counts, WZDX added.

WZDX said the alleged shooter cooperated with investigators and was released with no charges at this time.

However, the station noted that the incident remains under investigation and will be referred to the Morgan County District Attorney’s Office for grand jury consideration.

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Stranger allegedly chucks propane tank through window, goes berserk inside home. But gun-toting homeowner ends rampage.

A stranger allegedly grabbed a propane tank and chucked it through a window of a Georgia home early Monday morning before going on a rampage inside the residence, WSB-TV reported.

A woman named Michelle — who didn't give her last name — told the station she's a member of the family that endured the frightening home invasion in Lawrenceville, noting that the suspect "grabbed a propane gas tank, the big ones from the back, threw it at the window, broke the window, and that’s how he came into the house."

'If every homeowner was armed, thugs would think twice about breaking in.'

WSB said video shows a male behind the family’s home just before 4:30 a.m. and that interior surveillance video shows a shirtless suspect destroying things inside the home while the family called 911 for help.

“He was in there getting naked, taking his clothes off, smashing stuff," Michelle told the station.

Gwinnett County Police said the residents in the home in the 2000 block of Redbark Court immediately confronted the suspect, and officers surrounded the home with the male still inside with the victims.

Police noted that as officers entered the residence to arrest the suspect, the homeowner shot him, and the suspect died.

Police said homicide detectives and crime scene investigators responded to the scene to speak with witnesses and collect evidence. The name of the victim is being withheld until next of kin is notified, police said.

“This is such a calm neighborhood," Michelle told WSB. "We’ve lived here for over 20 years, and nothing like this has ever occurred."

Neighbors told the station that the suspect may have hopped a fence at a nearby shopping center and walked through the woods to get to the house.

Michelle told WSB she's grateful her family members are all OK in the wake of the terrifying incident: “Yeah, my family is all safe. Thank God. God is good."

No charges have been announced, the station said.

Observers had no sympathy for the suspect:

"Sounds like a FAFO situation," one commenter reasoned.
"I guess the burglar found out not to enter people's homes to rob them!!!" another commenter exclaimed.
"Don't break in if you don't want to take a dirt nap," another commenter advised.
"If every homeowner was armed, thugs would think twice about breaking in," another commenter declared.
"Well, well looks like homeowner wasn’t charged," another commenter wrote. "I wonder why? Must be because a crazy dude broke into their house, and they have a right to protect themselves."

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Homeowner actually charged with assault after fighting alleged intruder — and furious observers are blasting Canadian cops

Police in Ontario, Canada, said they charged a homeowner after he fought with an alleged intruder earlier this week.

Kawartha Lakes Police Service said officers responded around 3:20 a.m. Monday to an apartment on Kent Street in Lindsay for a report of an altercation between two males. Lindsay is about 2.5 hours northeast of Toronto.

'I know if someone breaks into my house or someone else's, you're gonna fight for your life,' Ford added. 'This guy has a weapon. You're gonna use any force you possibly can to protect your family. I'm telling you, I know everyone would.'

Arriving officers learned that the resident woke up to find an intruder inside his apartment, police said, adding that the intruder received "serious life-threatening injuries" as a result of the altercation.

The intruder was taken to Ross Memorial Hospital and later airlifted to a Toronto hospital, police said, adding that there is no risk to public safety.

However, police said they charged the 44-year-old homeowner with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon and then released him with a future court date. While police did not describe the weapon, CTV News reported that court documents indicate the homeowner used a knife.

Police said they already wanted the 41-year-old intruder — also a Lindsay resident — for unrelated offenses at the time of the incident. Police said they charged the intruder with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose; break, enter, and theft; mischief under $5,000; and "fail to comply probation."

Police said the intruder will be held in custody pending a bail hearing when he's released from the hospital. CTV News, citing court documents, said Michael Kyle Breen's criminal record includes prior break-and-enter charges.

The incident got the attention of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who said the charges against the homeowner indicate “something is broken" in the system.

"I know if someone breaks into my house or someone else's, you're gonna fight for your life," Ford added. "This guy has a weapon. You're gonna use any force you possibly can to protect your family. I'm telling you, I know everyone would."

Indeed, observers have been delivering a steady barrage of barbs against police on social media for charging the homeowner. Here's a sampling of comments underneath a completely unrelated post on the Kawartha Lakes Police page on X:

"Any idea why it's illegal to defend yourself/home from an intruder with a known criminal history?" one commenter wrote. "The whole world is waiting to hear some dumb-ass woke excuse for Canadas suicidal empathy."
"Which one of you dufus cops charged the guy for defending his home from a felon?" another user wondered. "The world can't wait til trial to see who it was and if it was your town's dingbat policy or his own personal nincompoopery. Every line of your trial will be scrutinized online. Congrats. Yer famous."
"Shame on you Kawartha cops," another commenter declared. "If you did your job in the first place you wouldn't have a wanted criminal running free breaking into people's houses. Way to alienate the public, especially those like me [who] back the blue."
"So if a wanted criminal broke into one of your officer's houses, you'd advise them to just bend over and take it? Would you help the thief pack up your belongings?" another user asked. "Biggest chicken s**t act I've read in the news in a long time … and in this day and age, that's saying something."

The invectives apparently hit cops so hard that the Kawartha Lakes chief of police found it necessary to fire off a scolding message to the public on Facebook, calling the criticism "unjust and inaccurate."

Chief Kirk Robertson added that while it's lawful in Canada for individuals to use reasonable force to protect themselves and their property if they believe they are facing a threat, the "law requires that any defensive action be proportionate to the threat faced. This means that while homeowners do have the right to protect themselves and their property, the use of force must be reasonable given the circumstances."

A pair of Blaze News writers who live in the Great White North offered their thoughts on the matter as well.

"If an intruder breaks into a person's home, the homeowner should not have to consider the intruder's feelings when protecting their property or family," Andrew Chapados said. "Ontario, and Canada as a whole, needs to introduce the castle doctrine as soon as possible."

Joe MacKinnon concluded the following: "Canadians voted in the same government that unlawfully declared martial law against peaceful protesters, shrugged off church burnings, stigmatizes lawful gun owners, pushed blood libels, strained the country with unprecedented amounts of unassimilable foreign nationals, and routinely euthanizes its most vulnerable citizens. I highly doubt that there will be sustained backlash now over the prosecution of a man who woke up to find a wanted thug in his apartment and acted defensively. Canada's criminal justice system not only gives certain races preferential treatment in terms of sentencing but — as evidenced by this case — holds the lawful to a higher standard than criminal elements. It's an increasingly unworkable system where the good are punished and the bad are rewarded."

Indeed, this wasn't the first time something like this has happened in Canada.

Back in January 2024, police in Peterborough, Ontario — which is about 45 minutes east of Lindsay — charged the victim of a bat attack with aggravated assault after the victim allegedly took the bat from the attacker and hit him with it several times.

In that case, the public also got angry at cops for charging the victim — and Police Chief Stu Betts, like his counterpart on the Kawartha Lakes, took a defensive posture and called the criticism "unfair."

The Toronto Sun reported in April 2024 that the crook who hit the clerk with the baseball bat was sentenced to 18 months in jail, while the clerk who hit him back with the bat — international student Tejeshwar Kalia — faces up to 14 years in jail.

The Sun said the video shows Kalia didn't gain control of the bat until he and the assailant were outside, and at that point Kalia lunged at the assailant, who was reaching for his pocket and said he would "stab me," Kalia added.

The paper added in a follow-up story that while GoFundMe canceled Kalia's crowdfunding campaign after it had raised $16,000 to help him pay for legal help as well as rent, food, and school expenses, GiveSendGo and its co-founder reached out to Kalia to try to help him. The Sun added that Kalia is out on bail but under house arrest, which means he can't work and has no money.

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3 armed thugs wearing ski masks allegedly break into Texas home. But homeowner also has gun — and simply does what Texans do.

Police responded to a home invasion call in the 1400 block of East Maddox Avenue in Fort Worth, Texas, just before 3:15 a.m. Friday, KDFW-TV reported.

According to police, the caller told dispatchers that several men wearing ski masks and carrying guns broke into his house, the station said.

'The guy ran and jumped in a white truck. ... Then I heard him after saying, "Help, help, help!"'

The homeowner used a gun in self-defense, KDFW reported, adding that the suspects returned fire.

The homeowner escaped the house through a window and called 911, the station noted, and the suspects fled the home and ran from the scene.

The homeowner cut his leg on glass while fleeing the residence, KDFW said, adding that the homeowner's injuries were minor and not life-threatening.

However, another male just a block away — in the 1400 block of East Myrtle Street — called 911 when police arrived, the station said.

Turns out this guy told authorities he'd been shot and needed assistance, KDFW said.

He was identified as 23-year-old Anthony Baeza; he faces a charge of burglary of a habitation, the station said.

First responders transported Baeza to a nearby hospital, where he had been in critical condition, KDFW said.

"I heard all this shooting. ... Boom, boom, boom, boom," a neighbor told the station's reporters at the scene. "The guy ran and jumped in a white truck. ... Then I heard him after saying, 'Help, help, help!'"

Man in wheelchair grabs gun during home invasion — then shocks crook with rare physical feat

Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, told Blaze News that a male was suspected of having committed a string of crimes Monday morning.

Police said Michael Salas broke into a home, led police on a car chase, and then fled on foot before arriving at an apartment on the southeast side of the city, KRQE-TV reported.

'Please don't touch me. Please get out of my house.'

Suddenly, Salas barged into the unit — and encountered wheelchair-bound Anthony Nichogi, who was in the residence with his young son, the station said.

Nichogi's wife had left the front door unlocked when she departed, KRQE said, adding that Salas burst inside only a minute later.

"I was in fear for my life and my son," Nichogi told the station, adding that Salas "reached for me, and I told him, 'Please don't touch me. Please get out of my house.'"

KRQE said Salas has a long rap sheet full of burglary arrests and convictions.

Michael Salas. Image source: Metropolitan Detention Center, Bernalillo Co., N.M.

Burglaries are nothing new for Nichogi, who told the station his neighborhood has suffered many of them — and he was prepared: "You know, I have video footage of all the five years' worth of incidents, and I'm expecting it."

Nichogi repeatedly told Salas to get out, KRQE said, adding that he soon motored on his electric wheelchair to the bedroom to get mace.

But it wouldn't be so easy.

"I turned my chair around, and as I went into the bedroom to go unlock it and retrieve it, he followed me into the bedroom," Nichogi explained to the station.

With that, Nichogi opted for a more powerful means of self-defense. He instead grabbed his gun, KRQE said.

And that wasn't all.

Describing what happened next as a rush of adrenaline, Nichogi told the station he performed a rare physical feat: He got up from his wheelchair and commanded Salas to leave.

Indeed, video shows a clearly unnerved Salas putting up his hands and retreating to the front door as Nichogi points a gun at him and walks after him, even following Salas out of the apartment.

"I never expected to have to defend my home like that," Nichogi added to KRQE. "This is a first for me."

The medical condition that necessitates his wheelchair use is not clear.

Police told the station that officers had been following Salas after deploying a GPS dart on his car and then pursued him on foot.

Police added to KRQE that Salas was found on a roof next door and arrested.

According to jail information police provided to Blaze News, Salas on Wednesday remained incarcerated in Bernalillo County's Metropolitan Detention Center on no bail. Salas, 40, was charged with aggravated burglary with a deadly weapon, burglary, reckless driving, and resisting, evading, or obstructing an officer. He also has a warrant for burglary from an automobile.

Police told KRQE that Salas had an accomplice with him — Christina Herrera — who is facing a residential burglary charge.

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Armed homeowner hits intruder with 4 shots, cops say: 'The safety and protection of one’s home is a fundamental right'

Deputies from the Scott County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri responded to a reported home invasion and shooting on County Highway 244, Sheriff Derick Wheetley of the Scott County Sheriff's Office said.

The sheriff's office confirmed to Blaze News on Friday evening that the incident occurred late Thursday night.

'You should never enter another person’s home without permission or invitation.'

Preliminary reports suggest that the homeowner was alerted to the intrusion and acted in self-protection, officials said.

The homeowner fired four shots, all of which struck the suspect, officials said, adding that the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.

"Based on initial findings, the homeowner’s actions appear to have been justified in defense of themselves and their household," officials said.

"The safety and protection of one’s home is a fundamental right," the sheriff's office added.

The incident remains under active investigation, officials said, adding that identities of all parties involved are being withheld at this time.

No charges have been filed against the homeowner, the sheriff's office said, and the Scott County prosecutor will review the incident.

How are people reacting?

A number of commenters on the Facebook post from the sheriff's office had something to say about the incident:

"It is tragic," one commenter acknowledged. "However, you should never enter another person’s home without permission or invitation."
"Exactly as it should be!" another commenter declared. "The lock on my door is there for the intruders [sic] protection, not mine!"
"Don’t break into peoples [sic] houses, and you won’t get shot," another user said. "Seems pretty freakin' simple to me."
"That would [have] been the greeting at my house also," another commenter wrote.
"Same thing will happen if anybody invades my home," another user stated.
"Thank goodness for those rights to defend ourselves," another commenter offered, adding that "home invasion is one of the worst crimes. This is where we are supposed to feel safe."

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Dad forces 11-year-old daughter to assist with home invasion — then ditches her during attempted escape: Prosecutors

A Michigan father forced his 11-year-old daughter to assist with a home invasion — and then ditched her when the homeowner returned, according to the prosecutors.

Andre Stephon-Curtis Broadenax — a 29-year-old from Detroit — has been charged with first-degree home invasion, second-degree home invasion, larceny in a building, receiving and concealing a motor vehicle, inducing a minor to commit a felony, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

'Right now, you could have just lost your life and your child's, so it's really sad.'

On May 2, Broadenax was arraigned and received a $75,000 cash/surety bond with a GPS tether and was placed on house arrest. However, Judge William McConico on Monday increased his bond to $150,000 during a bond redetermination hearing.

Around 8:43 p.m. April 29, Broadenax reportedly arrived at a Detroit home in a stolen car, which allegedly belonged to a 52-year-old Dearborn Heights man.

The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement that Broadenax "forced entry into the 75-year-old victim's home" with his 11-year-old daughter in tow.

The dad reportedly "forced his 11-year-old daughter to assist him with the home invasion."

However, Broadenax allegedly fled the crime scene on foot — without his little girl — when the homeowner returned to his residence.

Detroit Police officers caught up with the suspect and arrested Broadenax shortly after he tried to escape, according to prosecutors.

A longtime resident, David Bridges, told WXYZ-TV that "me being a father of eight kids, I can't see me using none of my kids to actually break into a house or do anything to harm another person because it's wrong."

The neighbor added, "Right now, you could have just lost your life and your child's, so it's really sad."

Broadenax's probable cause conference is scheduled for May 14, and the preliminary examination is scheduled for May 21.

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Man opens fire on armed suspected intruder — outside neighbor's home: 'We've always told people not to mess around down here'

3 intruders — 1 armed — reportedly run into home. But homeowner also has a gun — and only 2 intruders run back out.

Florida man trained in MMA beats up home intruder: 'Only God and my hands. That's it.'

Gun-toting woman opens fire on career criminal amid alleged home burglary. Now crook's career is over.

Stranger allegedly chucks propane tank through window, goes berserk inside home. But gun-toting homeowner ends rampage.

Homeowner actually charged with assault after fighting alleged intruder — and furious observers are blasting Canadian cops

3 armed thugs wearing ski masks allegedly break into Texas home. But homeowner also has gun — and simply does what Texans do.

Man in wheelchair grabs gun during home invasion — then shocks crook with rare physical feat

Armed homeowner hits intruder with 4 shots, cops say: 'The safety and protection of one’s home is a fundamental right'

How are people reacting?

Dad forces 11-year-old daughter to assist with home invasion — then ditches her during attempted escape: Prosecutors

Two teens who assaulted ex-DOGE engineer in DC avoid jail time and receive only probation

Deadly shoot-out between off-duty cop and male who pistol-whipped him caught on police dashcam video

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How are people reacting?

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