Blaze News original: 10 times violent thugs got all they could handle from folks you might not expect would fight back
There appears to be no shortage of accounts at Blaze News describing violent thugs attempting to commit crimes — and promptly getting massive resistance from individuals you might not immediately expect would fight back because they're either elderly, very young, or completely outnumbered.
Just this week alone, we brought you a pair of stories in that vein.
'All of a sudden, something snapped in me, and I was like, 'You know what? No, I'm not going to let this happen to me. This is not going to happen.''
First off, video captured a brave 8-year-old girl who used a baseball bat to help her dad fight off an alleged armed robber Saturday night at the Minnesota liquor store he manages. "That day I just wanted to cry," the dad later said. "When I saw the video, I didn't expect she'd do that. I expect a little girl crying, screaming." Even better, police caught the suspect, who was charged with first-degree attempted aggravated robbery.
In the second example, an 85-year-old Wyoming homeowner described a scary encounter in which he said he fought with and shot a much younger intruder at his Riverton home late Friday night. Wayne Williams told the Cowboy State Daily that after he heard pounding and kicking at 11 p.m. outside his home, he pulled his .380-caliber pistol from its holster, tossed the holster on his bed, went to the front door — and opened it to confront the intruder who stood six inches taller than Williams and pushed him into the home. But Williams gamely fought back and ultimately won the harrowing battle.
The following are 10 other instances during which violent, dangerous thugs got all they could handle — and more — from folks you might not expect would fight back:
Female steals car while 13-year-old boy sleeps inside vehicle. He wakes up, punches her in face several times — and she ain't sticking around for more.
It was around 4:45 a.m. on March 3, 2022, when a woman called police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, saying her Nissan was stolen from a parking lot at 4800 South Darlington Avenue — and with her 13-year-old son sleeping in the front seat.
The boy later said he woke up when the suspect — identified as Koleasha Pruitt — hit a curb. And that was when he realized the woman driving the car wasn't his mother.
Police said the boy punched Pruitt several times in the face to get her to stop the car. KTUL-TV reported that she crashed into a center median. After Pruitt exited the vehicle, the boy locked the doors, police said. And even though Pruitt several times threatened to taser the boy, it didn't come to pass since she was locked out of the vehicle, police said.
At some point the boy called his mother and said the car was near 37th and Yale Avenue, police said, adding that the suspect ran off, but cops soon tracked her down. The boy wasn't injured, KTUL reported, adding that he is now back with his family.
Pruitt was arrested and booked into the Tulsa County Jail on charges of kidnapping after former conviction of felony, possession of a stolen vehicle after former conviction of felony, and obstruction/interfering with an officer.
'Mess around and find out': Would-be car thief picks wrong car, gets his 'butt whipped' by 66-year-old car owner
The Brevard County (Florida) Sheriff's Office said 29-year-old Blake Robinson tried to steal a car parked outside a home in the early morning hours of June 27 but was interrupted by the car owner, a 66-year-old man.
Authorities said after calling 911, the car owner confronted Robinson and got into a physical altercation with him. While Robinson knocked the owner to the ground and kicked him in the head, the car owner — Robert Polk — fought back and was able to incapacitate Robinson until police arrived.
"Welcome to Brevard County, where we proudly support ... 'Play stupid games ... win stupid prizes,'" the sheriff's office wrote on Facebook about the incident.
Deputies arrived at the crime scene and arrested Robinson, who allegedly had blood around his mouth and "was seemingly having a tough time getting up off of the ground, after getting his butt whipped by a 66-year-old man!"
The sheriff's office added, "Mr. Tough Guy ... got manhandled by a 66-year-old man who thankfully only required brief medical treatment and was left without any serious injuries!"
Deputies added that Polk's face was red and swollen, and one of his ears was covered in blood, but Robinson needed medical attention.
The sheriff's office also noted, "As for Robinson, he was fortunate enough to be in Brevard County where he won a few prizes for being stupid including a chauffeured ride to a local medical facility to check his injuries before arriving at his less than luxurious accommodations at Ivey's Iron Bar Lodge! At the lodge he was given a freshly washed 2-piece ensemble to get comfortable in before being shown to his sleeping area in our open floor plan."
Robinson was charged with burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and felony battery on a person over the age of 65. He was booked in the Brevard County Jail on a $30,000 bond.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey said the suspect "got an enhanced charge for hitting someone over the age of 65 who ended up whooping his punk butt!"
Ivey added, "As we like to say here in Brevard County, 'Mess Around and Find Out!'"
Thug knocks woman to ground, steals her purse — but victim's 9-year-old daughter isn't having it and punches crook in face, chases after him: 'I fought back. I had to save my mom'
Danielle Mobley and her 9-year-old daughter Journee Nelson were grocery shopping in West Palm Beach on Nov. 2, 2021, when surveillance video recorded the moment a thug tried to steal the mother's purse.
"We struggled over the purse. He pushed me down to the ground," Mobley told WSVN-TV.
The suspect reportedly told Mobley to let go of her purse — otherwise "you're going to make me pop you," the assailant said while reaching for his waistband.
With that, Mobley's 9-year-old daughter ran over to try and save her mother from the attack. In fact, Journee is seen on surveillance video punching the violent robber.
"We walked out the store, and then I took a little glance at him, and then I looked back at the car, and then I opened my door. And then, next thing I know, I saw him running towards my mom," Journee said during an appearance on "Fox & Friends Weekend."
"I fought back," Journee added to the cable news program. "I had to save my mom."
After Journee punched the thug in the face, he pushed her to the ground and fled the scene — but the brave 9-year-old girl still ran after him across four houses before he got away.
The thief ended up stealing Mobley's purse, which contained a cellphone, several bank cards, a wallet, cash, and her concealed carry permit. But the suspect — identified as 29-year-old Demetrius Jackson — was arrested two days later and charged with robbery and battery.
On Nov. 18, the West Palm Beach Police Department honored the pint-sized hero with a medal and certificate. Chief Frank Adderley said he bet the suspect was "shocked" by Journee's grit and guts, adding that "her actions were perfect timing in this particular situation, and I think she hit him pretty hard."
You can view a video report about the incident — which includes an interview with the mom and her daughter — here.
'He picked the wrong place to try and break into': 70-year-old, gun-toting homeowner sends lead-powered message to intruder
Steve Huntley, 70, was asleep early on the morning of March 21 when the noises commenced. Huntley — who lives in the Memphis neighborhood of Nutbush — told WREG-TV the sound was a "bump, bump, bump."
"That’s what got my dogs stirred up,” he added to the station.
Sure enough, Huntley said an intruder was trying to get into his home through a back door — and the elderly homeowner told WREG he soon was standing face-to-face with the intruder.
“I shoved him,” Huntley recounted to the station. “He hit the ground down there. I slammed the door and went in to get my pistol.”
Huntley added to WREG that upon returning to the face-off spot, he fired a single shot — and the intruder took off running.
“That’s the reason a lot of people are moving out of this neighborhood because of what’s going on,” Huntley added to the station.
WREG said a search through Memphis data revealed that police have been called 170 times within the past year about breaking and entering, property crimes, and thefts — all within a half-mile radius of Huntley’s home.
Huntley has a more personal reason to be on guard, the station said, after his son was shot to death in 2016. Therefore, Huntley told WREG, he's ready to throw down to the death if necessary when others threaten the safety of his loved ones.
“He picked the wrong place to try and break into,” he said of the hapless intruder. “Because my motto is, ‘If you come in here, you are going to meet your maker.'”
Police found the accused intruder a few blocks from Huntley's residence, WREG added, noting that charges against him were pending. You can view a video report about the incident — including an interview with Huntley — here.
'Something in me snapped': Young woman fights back against trio of would-be carjackers who pistol-whipped her in Target parking lot — and chases after them in her flip-flops
Police said the incident unfolded in the parking lot of a Target store on Pardee Road in the city of Taylor, Michigan, around 4:50 p.m. May 13. Taylor is about 20 minutes southwest of Detroit.
Rachel Smiglewski told WXYZ-TV she was sitting in her boyfriend's car when the trio of would-be carjackers wearing surgical masks threatened her with a gun.
"I was just baffled and so scared," the 24-year-old told the station.
She said she tried to call 911, but one of the thugs smacked her phone away and hit her face with the gun, after which she said she could feel blood spurting from her face.
Although she complied with their demands and handed over her car keys, Smiglewski said something inside her took over in the moment, and she decided to fight back.
"All of a sudden, something snapped in me, and I was like, 'You know what? No, I'm not going to let this happen to me. This is not going to happen,'" she said.
Smiglewski said she started yelling for help and slamming her hands on the roof of the car. People in the parking lot began calling police. Although the assailants still had her keys, they ran away from the spectacle she was causing.
But Smiglewski wasn't through. She ran after them — in her flip-flops, no less.
"I chased after them. We ran the whole parking lot, and I was wearing flip-flops. Then I lost my shoes, so my feet are all cut up," she said.
Smiglewski also said she realized they were not very big physically and got prepared to fight them: "I was back ready to fight all three of them because they look like they were scrawny little teenagers."
One of the assailants threw the keys at her as they ran away. Police said they ran into a BJ's restaurant, and the employees called police to let them know the suspects were hiding in their bathroom.
Police said they arrested three males between 14 and 18 years old and recovered a 9mm Glock. Police said they believe the two juveniles and the man had been playing basketball before they missed a bus to Detroit and decided to try carjacking someone.
When asked what motivated her to fight back, Smiglewski said she was fed up with people taking advantage of her.
"I've had everybody walk all over me and take advantage of me for years and years," she said. "You just get sick of it, and I'm not going to let anyone do that to me anymore."
Smiglewski said on Facebook she's a sandwich artist at Subway.
"I fought and won and am so glad to be alive and not shot dead over some car," she wrote in the post.
You can view a video report, which includes an interview with Smiglewski, here.
Violent home intruder handcuffs 85-year-old woman to chair. But she manages to get her .357 Magnum revolver — and shoots intruder dead.
An 85-year-old woman in rural Idaho is being hailed for her heroic actions after she was the victim of a brutal home invasion.
The Bingham County Sheriff’s Office said they were called to the home on March 13 and found a man dead from gunshot wounds and an injured elderly homeowner.
The home invasion began about 2 a.m. when 39-year-old Derek Ephriam Condon parked a mile away and used a screwdriver to break into the home through a window, according to Bingham County Prosecutor Ryan Jolley. Condon was wearing a military jacket and a black ski mask.
Condon then bashed the head of a sleeping Christine Jenneiahn with his gun. Police said they found blood on her pillow.
The man then dragged Jenneiahn to the living room and handcuffed her to a wooden chair. He demanded she tell him where her valuables were located and grew angry when she said she didn't have much. She said he put his gun to her head at that point.
She told him there were two safes downstairs, and Condon left her handcuffed to rummage around for the safes. That's when he discovered her disabled son also was in the home, and he was angry that she hadn't told him about her son.
When Condon left her alone again, Jenneiahn was able to drag her chair to her pillow and retrieve a .357 Magnum revolver. She then hid the gun and waited to see what Condon would do next.
Jolley said Condon threatened to kill her while burglarizing the home, so Jenneiahn decided to take a chance and shot at the man.
Condon was struck twice and was able to shoot back at Jenneiahn with a 9mm gun, striking her in the leg, arm, chest, and abdomen. Condon then made his way to the kitchen where he died of his wounds.
Jenneiahn was still handcuffed to the chair and remained on the floor for 10 hours before her son was able to bring her a phone so she could call the police. She was given life-saving treatment and taken to a hospital.
Jolley said that police found Condon's car near the home with footprints leading to the house. They also found a set of lock picks on Condon's body and a bag containing some of the Jenneiahn's possessions.
The incident was determined to be a “justifiable homicide” under Idaho criminal code, according to Jolley. He called the case "one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation" he had ever seen.
"Her grit, determination, and will to live appear to be what saved her that night," Jolley added. "Christine was justified in taking any and all means necessary to defend herself and her son that night." You can view a video report about the incident here.
Woman fights 3 armed males who tried to carjack her, and they take off without her vehicle. Still, police said 'do not fight back' against robbers — especially armed ones.
A 39-year-old woman began to exit her car in the Plaza shopping center's parking lot in Streetsboro, Ohio, around 1 p.m. Aug. 9, 2022, when a motorist drove up behind her, WEWS-TV reported.
With that, three men armed with guns got out of their vehicle, approached the woman, took her keys, and got into her vehicle, the station said.
But the woman climbed into her car's back seat, after which a struggle ensued, the station said. Soon all of the men exited her car and took off, police told WEWS, adding that the woman sustained a minor injury, and a description of the robbers wasn't provided.
After the attempted carjacking, police issued a warning to crime victims through the station: "We are glad that she is OK, but we would recommend that people do not fight back with people who are attempting to rob them — particularly if they are armed. Their safety is more important than any of their possessions ... this terrible crime can and does happen anywhere."
83-year-old great-grandmother who needs dialysis three times a week fights back against carjacker by biting him
The Harris County Sheriff's Office said 83-year-old Lydia Sanchez was leaving the La Michoacana grocery store in the Aldine area of Houston at 8 a.m. March 28 when a much younger, stronger male attacked her, KTRK-TV said.
Lee Sanchez, her son, said she fought back against the suspect who was trying to steal her car: "She ended up biting him, and my mom had a good hold on him."
The alleged assailant ripped Sanchez out of her car and threw her on the ground. He then drove away in her car with her purse and a large amount of cash.
Sanchez was hospitalized and later released. She suffered an extremely swollen knee, a busted lip, and a sore rib cage.
Surveillance cameras captured video of the suspect at a shopping center. He parked Sanchez's car behind Manny's Mexican Grill and Seafood Restaurant and then pulled on the door handle of a truck at the restaurant. Unable to gain entry, he walked away with a bag and abandoned the car.
Sanchez's family recovered her car, which she needs to attend dialysis three times a week. "We've got to focus on her healing," her son told KTRK.
Although her family is grateful that she wasn't more seriously injured, they want the perpetrator to face justice.
"She's doing her grocery shopping. She's 83 years old. Why?" her daughter Evelyn Garza asked. "To attack an elderly person? Yeah we want him caught!"
The family had to change out the door locks to her home because Sanchez's keys also were stolen. Sanchez has nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. You can view a video report about what happened to Sanchez here.
82-year-old man fights gun-wielding would-be carjacker, tackles him to the ground
Surveillance video — which you can view here — shows an 82-year-old man fighting a gun-wielding, would-be carjacker at an Atlanta gas station on the afternoon of March 11, 2021.
"I'm just glad to be alive," the elderly victim, who has chosen to remain anonymous, told WAGA-TV in an interview about the incident.
He described to the local news outlet how he was pumping gas at 2:30 in the afternoon when the suspect approached him.
"I thought he was going to shoot me," the victim said. "As I put my gas nozzle back and was getting ready to get in the car, I turned around, and he was there with a gun in his pants, and showed part of it. He just said, 'Give it up,' and I asked ... 'give what up?' and he said, 'You know what I'm talking about. Give me them keys.'"
Video shows the victim quickly grabbing medical records from the front seat of the car when he saw an opportunity to fight the assailant.
"I saw he wasn't looking, and I grabbed his arm with the gun in it, and we started tussling, and we hit the ground," the victim recalled. Video shows the assailant's gun was tossed in another direction during the scuffle.
After getting off the ground, the suspect allegedly grabbed the gun again, pointed it at the victim, saying, "Do you want me to shoot you? Don't make me shoot you, man."
The elderly victim then ran into the convenience store seeking help while the suspect attempted to steal the car. But after the suspect reportedly was unable to get the vehicle to start, he fled the scene.
"Oh, it scared me! It scared me. I thought he was going to shoot me," the victim recalled, adding that "desperate" criminals now are picking on victims they assume are vulnerable.
The crook made quite the misjudgment in this case.
Texas woman, 65, fatally shoots alleged home intruder who attacked her fiancé
A 65-year-old Texas woman fatally shot a home invasion suspect who reportedly attacked her fiancé.
The incident unfolded in Fredericksburg early on April 11, 2020, when 19-year-old Cleto Neri Solorzano reportedly attempted to break through the couple's patio door.
The 73-year-old homeowner investigated the source of the noise when he reportedly came face-to-face with Solorzano, who forced his way through the door, struck the homeowner with a blunt object, and began choking the victim.
That's when his fiancée jumped into action. After witnessing the attack, she reportedly ran back to the bedroom, grabbed a handgun, and fired a warning shot. Sources reportedly said she demanded Solorzano stop the attack, which rendered her fiancé unconscious, and leave the property — or she'd make the second shot count.
Solorzano apparently refused, so the woman made good on her threat — and shot the intruder in the head.
KXAN-TV reported that authorities arrived on the scene, and emergency workers transported Solorzano to nearby Hill County Memorial Hospital. He later was transferred to University Hospital in San Antonio where he was pronounced dead.
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