Patterico's Pontifications

10/13/2007

“It Got His Attention”

Filed under: Crime,Humor — DRJ @ 11:11 am



[Guest post by DRJ]

A Houston area man who used a shotgun to catch burglars outside his home and in his garage describes the capture:

“And I walked out of the house and I went around and confronted those guys on the side of the house. So, I aimed at him and said, ‘You sneeze, you’re dead man.’ And I called the other guy out of the garage.

I watch a lot of movies it sounded like a good thing to say. It got his attention.”

Video link here.

I bet he especially likes John Wayne-type Westerns and Clint Eastwood movies.

— DRJ

25 Responses to ““It Got His Attention””

  1. Yes, I saw this video earlier, but that raised an important question in my mind you omitted: Did the homeowner determine if the detainees were foreign nationals and notify their sending State’s Consul before he used his shotgun to arrest these two potentially overly boisterous foreign adventurers?

    Because if he didn’t, I’d say they’re entitled to an extra hearing with the homeowner where he gets to kick their ass.

    Christoph (92b8f7)

  2. I’m trolling. What was in his garage worth shooting a man for? Sorry, DRJ.

    nk (6e4f93)

  3. P.S. I know he didn’t shoot them but the implication is that he was prepared to.

    nk (6e4f93)

  4. Ummmm, nk, in his garage was his property. Not someone else’s property. He probably had paint, hammers, tools, maybe a car, some old comics perhaps, or the cat litter box.

    Therefore, he’d have blasted their souls to the hereafter if they didn’t cease.

    Good for him. He was entirely within his rights as the police acknowledged. They were raiding his castle and were lucky not to be covered in boiling oil.

    Christoph (92b8f7)

  5. I’d bet if the guy with the gun sneezed, the other guy’d be a dead man too.

    Itsme (f1b2da)

  6. NK,

    I know you’re aware of this because you seem to know as much about Texas law and history as I do, but for the benefit of those who don’t know:

    Texas permits the use of force to protect property under Penal Code § 9.41 (Protection of One’s Own Property) and § 9.42 (Deadly Force to Protect Property). The provisions are lengthy but here’s a link to the Texas Penal Code for those interested in the specific text – click on Chapter 9 entitled “Justification Excluding Criminal Responsibility” and use the drop-down menu to access 9.41 or 9.42.

    DRJ (74c23b)

  7. DRJ, nk, Patterico, WLS et. al, I can’t recommend this essay from the Weekly Standard highly enough. It’s good thinking and great observation. I won’t attempt to summarize it or even headline it… I just urge you to read it because I think it’s very helpful.

    Not related to this post.

    Christoph (92b8f7)

  8. I linked to page 2 in error, so if you do decide to read it, click the page 1 link or click here.

    Christoph (92b8f7)

  9. NK,

    If it’s like my neighborhood, he had his pickup and a riding mower in the garage. Enough said.

    DRJ (74c23b)

  10. That was an interesting article, Christoph.

    DRJ (74c23b)

  11. Thank you, DRJ. Actually, no, I do not know either Texas history or law as well as you do. I appreciate the link to the statute.

    I was talking about something else, though. It’s ok. All’s well that ends well.

    nk (6e4f93)

  12. I thought you were joking that the homeowner might have something to hide in that garage, but now you have me curious.

    DRJ (74c23b)

  13. Legally, he can use force to defend a hammer.

    Christoph (92b8f7)

  14. nk,

    Obviously his garage is on his property next to his home. Many garages have a door into the home. One shouldn’t have to wait until the invaders have entered the home and where they may have control of the family or any advantage by taking a hostage. They are already a threat to the family by showing complete disregard for the safety and well being of others by being in the garage. If an intruder is rummaging in your garage would you feel at peace? Oh, it’s okay they are just in the garage.

    B. King (2d0395)

  15. Comment by B. King — 10/13/2007 @ 2:02 pm

    Yeah yeah yeah. Plus, they might have stolen one of his hammers.

    Christoph (92b8f7)

  16. And still today liberal wussietards tell us to dont resist s burglar give them what they want

    krazy kagu (9b4d22)

  17. Maybe the crooks will get the message and move to San Fransisco or DC or NYC where they know they can break and enter with impunity.

    tmac (0c909a)

  18. On further thought, err… make that “just plain thought”, the homeowner did the right thing. The stuff in his garage is irrelevant. Those punks were on a crime spree. In the next house, they might have found a helpless person and done worse than steal a few tools. I keep forgetting what crawly snakes criminals are. They’ll go as far as they think they can get away with. It would be foolish to rely on their conscience, perspective or even humanity. The homeowners deserves the gratitude of everybody in his community for helping get them off the street.

    nk (6e4f93)

  19. nk 18:

    … In the next house, they might have found a helpless person and done worse…

    Why, nk, that’s a point I might have made!

    EW1(SG) (84e813)

  20. Okay, what happened to my dang smilie thingy…

    😉

    EW1(SG) (84e813)

  21. Heh. Given the chance, my two or three remaining brain cells manage to catch up with my mouth (or in this case my keyboard). And unlike some new commenters here I will not persist with a foolish argument … unless a client was paying me to of course.

    nk (6e4f93)

  22. *agrees with EW1 and NK*

    I’ve been reading that Crime Library thing on serial killers, and there are several really sick fellows who burgled, and if they found an easy human target they…well, let’s just say they ended up dead and that I’d USE a hammer before I’d let a bugler “just take what he wants.”
    (Hard to do much with a shattered kneecap, hardly anyone protects them like they will a foot or two up, and it’s harder to dodge away on those than it is to dodge if you aim for feet.)

    Foxfier (f765f6)

  23. At least in Texas, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” have meaning.
    If you can’t protect your property, what good is the aquisition (Pursuit) of it?
    And, what does that say about Liberty?
    And, Life?

    Another Drew (8018ee)

  24. I do not intend to pile on nk, but I want to point out a good reply to that type of question. I see it asked sometimes and it can be very effectively responded to.

    In this situation, where someone asks; “What is in the (building / vehicle) that is worth killing the perpetrators for?”, I suggest a reply of; “The better question is, ‘What is in the (building / vehicle) worth being killed for?'”

    _Jon (6b3992)

  25. “Heh. Given the chance, my two or three remaining brain cells manage to catch up with my mouth (or in this case my keyboard).”

    -nk

    I empathize. You saw me call Sun Tzu “tactically obsolete” the other day, right? Perfect example of typing without thinking.

    (I recanted, for what it’s worth)

    Leviticus (68eff1)


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