Anger spreads over homeowner charged with assault after fighting alleged intruder; Canadian cops double down: 'Don't engage'



As Blaze News recently reported, a Canadian homeowner has been charged with aggravated assault after fighting and injuring an armed male who allegedly broke into his Lindsay, Ontario, residence in the middle of the night last month.

Amid the growing outrage — including from Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who said "something is broken" in the system when one is punished for self-defense — the chief of the Kawartha Lakes Police Service fired off a scolding message to the public on Facebook, calling the criticism against cops "unjust and inaccurate."

'But as it stands, we know the best defense for most people is to comply.'

Chief Kirk Robertson added that 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."

Well, things are only getting more bizarre as the issue grows hotter up north.

Turns out the break-in suspect was armed with a crossbow while the homeowner was armed with a knife, the Toronto Star reported, citing court documents.

RELATED: Blaze News original: 5 infuriating times authorities punished victims of physical attacks — as well as a Good Samaritan

Photo by BfdF/RDB/ullstein bild via Getty Images

The break-in suspect — 41-year-old Michael Breen — is no stranger to law enforcement, either. The Star said in addition to the list of charges against him in connection with the Lindsay incident, recent court records show other outstanding charges against Breen, including illegal use of a credit card. The paper added that Breen also allegedly failed to appear in court, after which a warrant for his arrest was issued June 19.

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Meanwhile, those who know the homeowner — Jeremy McDonald — told the Star he's "distraught about" the charges against him.

Jesse Kalabic — who operates Thirteen Tattoo shop in the unit directly below McDonald’s second-floor apartment — added to the paper that McDonald is "concerned" and that "it’s become a very big issue now, and he doesn’t want to be in the spotlight.”

What's more, Kalabic revealed to the Star an additional traumatic element for McDonald, saying the break-in suspect "went through his [young] daughter’s bedroom window. Luckily, she wasn’t there.”

Kalabic added to the paper it’s unfortunate that McDonald — who works in construction — is facing charges when he didn't start the altercation. Kalabic also told the Star he hopes the government will investigate legal reforms concerning the level of force one can use in self-defense that “doesn’t leave the burden on the homeowner, who should always be seen as the victim.”

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A pair of Canadian writers for Blaze News — Joe MacKinnon and Andrew Chapados — couldn't agree more.

"The fact that this homeowner was charged for non-lethally confronting an intruder not only is an indictment of the Canadian legal system but also serves notice to would-be criminals: Your victims are powerless under the law to take action against you. If a thug breaks into your home through your daughter's window, you should be criminally charged for not putting him six feet under the ground," MacKinnon told Blaze News.

Chapados added to Blaze News that "while sentiments from the premier are nice, federal laws need to change. In the meantime, Doug Ford needs to pressure the attorney general and Crown not to pursue charges against the homeowner."

As concern and anger over the issue spread throughout Canada, another recent headline out of Ontario has only underscored the public's frustration with police.

Amid a pair of violent home invasions — one that claimed a homeowner's life — the chief of the York Regional Police actually told homeowners that if their residences are invaded, “don’t engage unless absolutely necessary," the Star reported in a separate story.

“In the unlikely event that you find yourself the victim of a home invasion, we are urging citizens not to take matters into their own hands,” Chief Jim MacSween said. “While we don’t want homeowners to feel powerless, we urge you to call 911 and do everything you can to keep yourself and loves ones safe until police arrive and be the best witness possible. This could mean locking yourself in a room away from the perpetrators, hiding, fleeing the home, but don’t engage unless absolutely necessary.”

RELATED: 'Time for the protesters to hear our jackboots on the ground': Royal Canadian Mounted Police in group chat allegedly celebrate violence against protesters

The Star said MacSween sidestepped questions about politicians such as Ford who called for stronger self-defense laws in the wake of the Lindsay incident.

“The premier can make his own statement and his own mind up about that,” MacSween noted, according to the paper. “What I would say is as a police service, we’ll follow the laws as they’re written; if the laws change, we’ll change with the laws.”

The Star said the chief soon added: “But as it stands, we know the best defense for most people is to comply.”

As you might guess, commenters ripped MacSween just like they blasted the Kawartha Lakes Police Service after the Lindsay break-in:

  • "You just gave criminals a free pass," one commenter said.
  • "Instead of telling homeowners to 'comply,' why don't you tell criminals that they will be tossed into prison [with] no chance of bail or parole and the key thrown away??????" another commenter wondered.
  • "This clown is ridiculous. When seconds count, the cops are minutes away," another commenter stated. "When a criminal enters my dwelling, my home, my family's safe place, he/she/it forfeits his/her/zems life. The criminals can comply with the law and not enter my home."
  • "Fire this coward immediately," another commenter declared.

MacSween's sentiments mirror a directive last year from a Toronto police official, who told residents amid a spike in car thefts that they should leave their car keys at their front doors so car thieves don't harm them.

“To prevent the possibility of being attacked in your home, leave your fobs at the front door because they are breaking into your home to steal your car; they don’t want anything else," Cst. Marco Ricciardi said, according to City News Toronto. "A lot of them that they’re arresting have guns on them, and they are not toy guns. They are real guns. They’re loaded.”

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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."

RELATED: Leave your car keys at your front door so car thieves don't hurt you, Toronto Police tell residents. Backlash is brutal.

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."

RELATED: Blaze News original: 5 infuriating times authorities punished victims of physical attacks — as well as a Good Samaritan

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.

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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.

RELATED: Trudeau has resigned, but his persecution of Canadians continues

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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Gun-Free Zones Like Fort Stewart Invite Mass Shootings

Why do we trust soldiers with weapons in combat, yet we deny them that same trust on their own bases?

When good guys carry, killers lose — and the media looks away



A stabbing at a Michigan Walmart on Saturday was stopped by an armed man — a Marine veteran — who went to the shooting range but “forgot to take his pistol off his hip.”

The New York Times, Associated Press, Washington Post, NPR, NBC News, BBC, and many others completely ignored the gun used to stop the attack. An eyewitness described how others who had tried to stop the attacker were stabbed, but it took the Marine with a gun to stop the attack.

The laws meant to stop criminals end up disarming the innocent instead.

The attack was stopped several minutes before the first responders were able to arrive. One thought is that this hero might get some coverage in the legacy media simply because he is black and the attacker was white.

A disturbing pattern

This case was far from unusual. Between January 2021 and December 2024, concealed handgun permit holders stopped 37 attacks that police said would have turned into mass public shootings if not for their intervention. But they rarely get national news attention.

Unfortunately, after Monday’s attack in New York City, Democrats drew the wrong conclusion. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) responded by calling for a federal assault weapon ban and blaming the tragedy on the absence of such a law.

Their gun control laws ensure they won’t have any armed civilians to save the day. The murderer who killed four people broke numerous gun control laws. He openly carried a rifle that was already illegal to possess or carry in the state.

New York State and New York City prohibit open carry of loaded long guns in public and ban so-called assault weapons, such as AR-15-style rifles. Even concealed-carry permits do not authorize openly carrying a rifle in public.

Meanwhile, the law-abiding victims were defenseless, disarmed by the city’s strict regulations. Currently, only about 6,000 active concealed handgun permits are currently granted in a city with almost seven million adults — less than 1% of adults.

Moreover, carrying a permitted concealed handgun is extremely difficult. The list of places that ban concealed carry is long (e.g., public transportation such as subways, any places that serve alcohol, Times Square, government buildings and educational facilities, and public gatherings). Additionally, the price for obtaining a permit is steep — running at about $770 — for fees to the New York Police Department and the required course.

Gun control doesn’t save lives

The problem is simple: Someone intent on murdering four people won’t be deterred by extra gun control penalties. Even if the killer had survived, he would have already been facing four life sentences, which makes adding a few more years meaningless. For attackers who expect to die during the assault — as most mass public shooters do — those laws carry no weight at all.

But for law-abiding citizens, the consequences are severe. Violating these laws could turn them into felons and upend their entire lives. The laws meant to stop criminals end up disarming the innocent instead.

These murderers take advantage of the laws that ensure they will be the only ones with weapons. Diaries and manifestos of mass public shooters show a disturbing pattern: They deliberately choose locations where they know their victims can’t fight back due to restrictive gun laws.

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

Photo by Seeetz via Unsplash

While it remains unknown whether this particular killer made such a calculation, his actions align with a pattern we’ve seen repeatedly in other cases. It isn’t too surprising that 92% of mass public shootings occur in places where guns are banned.

Concealed carry does

Two of the four people murdered in the New York City attack were security guards. But people don't appreciate the extremely difficult job uniformed police have in stopping these active shooting attacks. “A deputy in uniform has a difficult job in stopping these attacks,” said Sheriff Kurt Hoffman in Sarasota County, Florida. He continues:

These terrorists have strategic advantages in determining the time and place of attacks. They can wait for a deputy to leave the area or pick an undefended location. Even when police or deputies are in the right place at the right time, those in uniform who can be readily identified as guards may as well be holding up neon signs saying, "Shoot me first." My deputies know that we cannot be everywhere.

In fact, even though civilians stop more of these active shooting attacks than police officers, the men in blue still pay a steep price. Nineteen police officers were killed in these attacks versus two civilians with permitted concealed handguns. It’s little surprise why surveys of academics who have published peer-reviewed empirical research on firearms show that criminologists and economists strongly support letting people carry concealed handguns to stop mass public shootings.

While politicians rush to call for new laws after each tragedy, they often ignore the basic reality that killers intent on murder are attracted to attack in places with strict gun control. Instead, those laws disarm only the potential victims, leaving them vulnerable and defenseless.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.

Thug, 18, takes man's property at gunpoint — but runs after victim's family opens fire, cops say. Thug should've stayed away.



Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies and detectives responded to an aggravated robbery and shooting in the 13700 block of Victoria Street near Evanston in East Harris County last week, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

Authorities said an adult male allegedly approached a victim outside his home, pointed a handgun at the victim, and took the victim's wallet and keys.

Cantera fled the scene on foot, the sheriff's office said. But he wouldn't get far.

But deputies told KTRK-TV that the victim's family members came outside.

The sheriff's office said that when the suspect — identified as 18-year-old Anthony L. Cantera — pointed a gun at them and opened fire, one of the victim's family members returned fire.

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

Anthony L. Cantera. Image source: Harris County (Texas) Sheriff Ed Gonzalez

Cantera fled the scene on foot, the sheriff's office said. But he wouldn't get far.

A short time later, deputies responded to a report of a gunshot victim at a residence located in the 800 block of Nadolney Street — less than half a mile from the initial scene on Victoria Street.

There, deputies located a male matching the original suspect's description who was suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg, authorities said.

The individual was identified as Cantera — the same male identified as the suspect in the earlier incident on Victoria Street — and he was charged with aggravated robbery, the sheriff's office said.

Detectives believe Cantera — who was hospitalized in fair condition and received treatment for his wound — was involved in several other robberies.

Anyone with information related to this incident or the suspect is urged to contact the Harris County Sheriff's Office Violent Crimes Unit at 713-221-6000 or Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

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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.

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

"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!'"

More from KDFW:

Police said they believe the homeowner shot Baeza during the robbery as the homeowner was escaping the house. They believe two other suspects assisted in the robbery but then fled the scene without the third suspect. Those two men are not in police custody at this time.

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Good guy with a gun, Good Samaritans confront 'crazed' man accused of stabbing 11 at Walmart in 'life-or-death moment'



Tragedy struck Michigan over the weekend when a suspect stabbed 11 people inside a Walmart — however, multiple people stepped up and confronted the suspect in the parking lot, including a man armed with a gun.

The Grand Traverse Sheriff's Office said in a statement that a man entered the Walmart in Garfield Township just before 5 p.m. Saturday. Garfield Township is about eight minutes south of Traverse City and about two hours north of Grand Rapids.

'At first, it was disbelief. I thought maybe it was like a terror attack.'

The suspect "used a folding knife to stab 11 people," according to police.

A sheriff’s deputy was at the crime scene around 4:46 p.m., law enforcement stated.

"At the time of the deputy’s arrival, multiple citizens, including one who was armed with a pistol, were confronting the male suspect in the parking lot and preventing him from harming further people and from leaving," the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office said. "The deputy took the suspect into custody without further incident."

Witness Julia Martell told NBC News that the suspect looked "crazed" and that the situation was "surreal."

"All I know is I saw a knife, and I ran away from the knife, and now I have no idea where the knife is," Martell said. "I'm still sitting and grappling with the weight of realizing that it was kind of a life-or-death moment."

RELATED: How a Hollywood hairstylist's murder by wife's ex-porn star lover revealed secrets, lust, and desire for life insurance payday

Videos also show a group of citizens confronting the suspect in the parking lot of the Walmart. During a press conference, Sheriff Michael Shea noted that one of the Good Samaritans was armed with a gun.

Video from the Walmart parking lot shows the brave citizens approaching the suspect, who was still brandishing a knife with a 3.5-inch blade.

One of the citizens is heard yelling, "Throw the knife that way! Drop it! Throw the knife away!"

Witness Steven Carter told the Associated Press that he was loading his truck in the Walmart parking lot when he saw a man with a knife stab a woman in the throat.

"At first, it was disbelief. I thought maybe it was like a terror attack,” Carter said.

Carter added that the suspect was subdued after someone tackled him to the ground.

"And then it was fear, disbelief, shock. ... It was just amazing," Carter said. "And it all happened fast. Like, he was totally subdued on the ground by the time police arrived."

The video shows the suspect being detained next to a sheriff’s vehicle.

Witness Tiffany DeFell added to the AP that "it was really scary. Me and my sister were just freaking out. This is something you see out of the movies. It's not what you expect to see where you're living."

Sheriff Shea described the citizens' actions as "remarkable" and said he "cannot commend" them "enough," according to WANE-TV.

"When you stop and look from the time of [the] call to the time of actual custody, the individual was detained within one minute," Shea stressed.

RELATED: Florida woman, who doused herself in Diet Mountain Dew to tamper with evidence, learns her fate in murder of elderly roommate

The victims were rushed to Munson Medical Center in Traverse City.

The sheriff's office listed the 11 stabbing victims as: a 29-year-old female, a 38-year-old male, a 39-year-old male, a 41-year-old male, a 55-year-old male, a 65-year-old female, a 67-year-old female, a 70-year-old male, an 80-year-old female, an 82-year-old male, and an 84-year-old female. Shea said one of the victims was a Walmart employee.

During a press conference, Munson Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Tom Schermerhorn revealed that one of the victims had been treated and released, two were in serious condition, and the remainder were in fair condition. All are expected to survive their stab wounds.

Police identified the suspect as 42-year-old Bradford James Gille of Afton, Michigan. He was arrested and transported to the Grand Traverse County Jail.

Police said Gille had a criminal history of "assaultive incidents, as well as controlled substance violations."

Citing Michigan court records, NBC News reported that Gille's criminal history included charges for public intoxication, misdemeanor assault and battery, misdemeanor aggravated assault, drug possession, and assault with a dangerous weapon. Court documents said a charge of malicious destruction of tombs and memorials was dismissed after Gille was found to be incompetent to stand trial.

Investigators have yet to determine a motive for the stabbing.

Michigan prosecutors are seeking a terrorism charge against Gille in addition to 11 counts of assault with intent to murder, one for each stabbing victim, according to NBC News.

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Motorist fatally shoots road rager wielding baseball bat — and DA issues ruling



Just after 3:30 a.m. on July 6, 35-year-old Tamir Johnson pursued the driver of a Toyota Prius for two blocks before cutting off the Prius driver at South Fifth and Hamilton Streets in Allentown, Pennsylvania, authorities told Lehigh Valley Live.

With that, Johnson of Whitehall Township allegedly used a metal baseball bat to strike the driver’s side door of the Prius, the outlet said.

Interviewed after the shooting, Matt Tuerk — the Democrat mayor of Allentown, which is about 60 miles north of Philadelphia — told WPVI that the incident was 'senseless' and was the 'product of people kind of losing their cool and having in my estimation too easy access to guns.'

The Prius driver — fearing for his life — responded by shooting Johnson, Lehigh Valley Live said, citing investigators.

The Prius driver fired one shot with a handgun and hit Johnson in the torso, WPVI-TV reported, adding that Johnson died a short time later.

After the shooting, the Prius driver drove his car a short distance away, parked, and dialed 911, investigators told Lehigh Valley Live, adding that the Prius driver remained at the location until police arrived and then handed over his legally possessed gun. Indeed, WPVI — citing investigators — noted that the Prius driver has a license to carry.

RELATED: Road rage suspect opens fire on fellow motorist in Chicago, cops say. But victim is a concealed carrier — and wins shootout.

Interviewed after the shooting, Matt Tuerk — the Democrat mayor of Allentown, which is about 60 miles north of Philadelphia — told WPVI that the incident was "senseless" and was the "product of people kind of losing their cool and having, in my estimation, too easy access to guns." However, Tuerk in the same interview characterized the shooting as "self-defense."

Blaze News on Thursday reached out to Tuerk, asking him what he meant by his two statements and how they can exist side by side. The mayor on Thursday didn't immediately respond to Blaze News' questions.

RELATED: Male, female — both just 17 years old — accused in road rage shooting

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan on Monday ruled that no charges will be filed against the driver who pulled the trigger, saying the deadly shooting was justified, Lehigh Valley Live reported.

"The investigation revealed that [the Prius driver] did not provoke Johnson's conduct," the outlet added, citing a news release from the DA's office.

Johnson leaves behind three children, his family said, adding that he helped at-risk youths. His family added in the DA's news release that Johnson was "so much more than a moment of conflict" and was "a provider, a protector" whose "children were his world," Leigh Valley Live noted.

Holihan said that "while the law justifies the use of deadly force in [this] situation, it is not something to be taken lightly," the outlet noted. The DA also told Lehigh Valley Live that the incident "has profound consequences for the family of Johnson, and also for the driver of the Prius, who has expressed remorse for what transpired."

Mark Schlofer of Eastern Arms — a gun shop in Catasauqua, which is about five minutes from Allentown — told Blaze News on Thursday that the driver who pulled the trigger "did everything perfectly" in reaction to the road rage attack, adding that "this is the way you do it" and that "you have to wait until you feel like your life is threatened" before firing. Schlofer also told Blaze News that "everybody knew ... right out of the gate" that it was self-defense.

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Video: Over 20 thugs try breaking into jewelry store. But gun-toting store owner isn't about to let them get away with it.



It was around closing time Thursday at a jewelry store in Anaheim, California, when the store owner told KTTV-TV five cars pulled up to the front of the store.

Indeed, security camera video shows over 20 individuals quickly exiting vehicles and gathering at the entrance of Al-Amira Jewelry, the station reported.

The owner told the station he heard a loud noise, and when he looked at the door, he saw 'many people. I can't count it.'

It appears to be a coordinated operation, as video shows the similarly dressed crew trying to break into the store; they use pickaxes and sledgehammers to smash the door, KTTV said.

Suddenly, though, video shows the entire gang turning tail and running back into the cars — scattering in unison as if their lives depended on it.

Well, it turns out that their lives were very much at stake.

RELATED: Video: Stick-wielding jewelry store owner lowers the boom on brazen trio of masked, hooded crooks trying smash-and-grab heist

That's because the store owner fired at the would-be robbers, KTTV said.

The station said video from inside the store shows people running behind the counter — and then several of them coming back out with guns.

KTTV said the store owner fired one shot.

In the aftermath, the store owner spoke to the station about the incident, though his face was blurred and his identity wasn't revealed.

He noted to KTTV that he believes the crooks had been watching the store — as they attempted their break-in several minutes after one of the last customers departed the business — and that some of his family members were in the store at the time.

The owner told the station he heard a loud noise, and when he looked at the door, he saw "many people. I can't count it."

"Then I have to defend myself and my store and my employees. I take my gun, I shoot one bullet, I scare [the person at the door], he moved, and the problem is done," the store owner added to KTTV.

RELATED: Video: Gun-toting jewelry store owner knows just what to do after burglar breaks in — and shocked crook makes hilarious exit

Photo by: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Mohammad Abuershaid, an attorney for the jewelry store, added to the station that "every single one of them was covered in black, head to toe."

Mahmud Salem, who has owned Sahara Falafel — a popular restaurant near the jewelry store — for 30 years, told KTTV he's never seen anything like it.

"It was like a movie," Salem added to the station.

The jewelry store owner also told KTTV that his business endured one similar incident prior to Thursday's attempted break-in, but the crooks weren't able to enter the store that time, either.

Anaheim police on Monday told Blaze News there are "no updates as of this morning" and "no arrests have been made," but "detectives are still working the case." Blaze News also asked police if the store owner is in the clear after firing a gun in the incident, and police said "that will be up to the District Attorney’s office. We document all aspects of the incident for filing considerations."

Thieves about a month ago targeted a jewelry store across the street from Al-Amira Jewelry, the station said, noting that the crooks drove a vehicle through the front of Besan Jewelry and made off with items worth more than $3 million.

Police in Glendale said foreign nationals got away with a jewelry store heist in May — but a month later they got caught amid a theft attempt since cops were ready for them.

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Alleged backyard burglar charges at homeowner while holding an unknown object, cops say. But homeowner is holding a gun.



California deputies responded just before 6 a.m. Monday to a residence in Taft regarding a reported burglary in progress, officials told KGET-TV. Taft is about 45 minutes southwest of Bakersfield.

RELATED: Robbers break into home, but resident grabs gun and fires at suspects — leaving 1 dead and 1 wounded: Sheriff

Image source: Kern County (Calif.) Sheriff's Office

The Kern County Sheriff’s Office told the station that the homeowner confronted an alleged burglar in his backyard in the 300 block of Montview Avenue.

'We have the right to defend ourselves.'

The alleged burglar — whom investigators later identified as 36-year-old Felix Cortez Villasenor — was said to have charged at the homeowner while holding an unknown object, KGET said.

The homeowner also was holding an object — a gun.

Deputies said the homeowner shot Villasenor, the station reported.

The sheriff's office said Villasenor was airlifted to Kern Medical and was in the intensive care unit as of Tuesday, KGET said.

He was absentee-booked into the Kern County Jail on suspicion of first-degree burglary — and on an outstanding misdemeanor warrant, the station said.

RELATED: 5 armed thugs force their way into residence, but gun-toting homeowner isn't about to back down

The sheriff's office told KGET that investigators will submit the case to the Kern County District Attorney’s Office for review.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact the sheriff's office at 661-861-3110 or call Secret Witness at 661-322-4040, the station said.

One commenter under KGET's Facebook post about the incident implored, "Protect everything you own."

In reaction to the incident, an area gun store owner told Blaze News on the condition of anonymity that "our stance is that we have the right to defend ourselves. If that firearm was registered to him, and he was the owner, and he was in fear for his life, he has every right to defend himself."

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