Arizona (Alex Ferri-The Arizona Republic) – A Mesa man reportedly prevented a man from stealing his bike by firing a warning shot in the air and then chasing the would-be thief down and hitting him in the leg with a shotgun, police said. I’m reminded of that guy “De-bo” from the movie Friday – “That’s my bike!”
The victim’s wife reportedly saw the man stealing a bike from their back yard shortly before 3 a.m. Monday and told her husband, who outside with a shotgun, told the man to stop and fired a warning shot.
The man refused to stop, always a smart thing to do when the guy you just ripped off has a gun, so the victim followed him in his truck. He reportedly pulled in front of the thief, got out of his truck and swung the shotgun, striking him in the leg. Fore!
When the victim went back to his truck to call police, the man ran off. Didn’t hit him hard enough, better luck next time, buddy. Responding officers found the suspect, identified as William Larsen, 48, hiding in a nearby bush by following a blood trail.
Larsen allegedly grabbed and twisted an arresting officer’s finger, ooooohh, bad move forcing police to punch him in the shoulder multiple times to get him into handcuffs. I said DOWN! Police arrested Larsen on suspicion of burglary, resisting arrest and criminal trespassing.
Holycowgirl
October 14, 2012
Well, you can tell it wasn’t Florida. The bike thief didn’t gnaw on anyone’s face and no growling either, only a finger twist defense…. pretty lame. And that’s an overly polite outraged citizen to aim for the perp’s leg. I’m betting the citizen gets sued. When I read the outrageous criminal tales on Drudge I always try to guess the state or city before clicking on but I never get it right. It’s not always Detroit. If the story includes “Cops arrest victim” it’s likely California.
the gaslamp post
October 15, 2012
Hi Holycowgirl, thanks for posting. This story is over a year old and I’m still getting traffic on it.
The Drudge crime stories are great, aren’t they? The way he entitles some of his links is hilarious sometimes, isn’t it? Florida and Wisconsin (in my experience) have the strangest crime stories.
the gaslamp post
August 28, 2012
Thanks for posting.
The thing that matters is that you familiarize yourself with your weapon. Although it may seem that from behind the trigger, you’re de-personalizing, you should never lose your sense of responsibility.
There must not only be a reason behind why you had to pick up your weapon, but a realization of the consequences. It’s not a decision to take lightly, but at times it may be necessary.
Case in point: http://gaslamppost.wordpress.com/2012/05/20/feel-good-story-of-the-day-gun-toting-pastor-shoots-intruder-trying-to-break-into-his-home/