If you caught a thief red-handed..
 

What would you do?

Let's say, you're unsuspectingly walking out into your garage one day and catch someone, who's broken your locks, and is inside your car stealing your stereo (assuming its a REAL good one, you just put in there last week) and he's caused a LOT of visual damage to your car - trashed the locks, metal, damaged all the interior, seat trim etc while fooling around inside. Basically he seems like a no good society-loser with no respect for anything.

He looks at you, about as surprised as you are, drops everything, and moves towards you to try and push his way out the door, past you, and off.

You hold the door closed against him, and he's stuck halfway out. He can't use his hands or feet on you.

There's a number of interesting metal tools, basebats etc right around the floor of your garage by your feet, because you've been working on the car recently.

What do you do?

I don't think I'd ever actually hit anyone with anything, but I'd be squeezing that door shut REAL hard :( :(

He would die a horrific painfull death......:)

I would do whatever was necessary to incapacitate him so I could get the authorities over.

If that means hitting him on the noggin with a baseball bat, so be it.

I would not try to kill him, only render him in a state where I could catch him to have the authorities take care of him.

Too bad in our society, a thief can win a lawsuit against you for hurting him while he is breaking the law on your property. I have heard many a story of thiefs caught breaking in someones house, suing the homeowners because they got hurt whilst breaking in to their property or while they were robbing the property.

Alon

I thought in some places in the us you could shoot a burglar or a tresspasser on youre property?:confused: :)

Deadly force usually is justified in repelling a home invader, but the basis of the right to use such force is not to protect the dwelling or contents, but to protect the safety of the inhabitants of the dwelling. The use of "deadly force" is never allowed as a defense of property. Another tip . . . force (of any kind) cannot be used to regain property, UNLESS the person using force is in immediate pursuit of the taker.

No one would ever know
 

There wouldn't be a trace of him anywhere:rolleyes:

Ashman, that's why I'll never live in California. Screwed up isn't even close to an accurate description of the way things are run there. Here in TX, you can pretty much do whatever it takes to defend yourself and property. If a loser comes towards me, while commiting a crime on my property, they won't be leaving under their own power. Any moron judge that would even CONSIDER a case where the perp was suing for injuries incurred while commiting a crime would be quickly removed from the bench and run out of the state. :D

Where i come from, a burglary is no major offense.
This means that if you call the police (wich of course is the right thing to do), they will pick the burglar up, drive him to the station, get his name, tell him not to do this anymore, and release him..

This dude can actually be stading in your garage or house again less than 30 mins after you caught him the first time!

Police are only striking down on the REAL hard crimes like going 2 mph above the speed limit or carrying a "concealed weapon" like for example the handle for your hydraulic jack in your trunk.
..Now how would i know that? :rolleyes:

So what would i do?
I would whack him so good, that he never wanted to come back to my neighbourhood again!

Freestyler

Freestyler's comments on the situation in Denmark apply in England too, I'm sad to say.

This puts you in an impossible position.

You have two chioices:

1. He knows where you live, but you don't know where he lives, so if you rough him up a bit, chances are he'll be back to do some serious damage whilst you're out. You'll never again get the opportunity to deal out justice.

2. Let him walk out with your stuff. Hold the door open for him in case he hurts himself......

I don't know anyone who would opt for Number 2, but if you don't take REALLY positive action this is the only alternative.......

No wonder there are so many new patios and concrete garage bases being built in my neighbourhood...;)

Just knock him out, plant a knife on him, and then drag his unconsious arse to the police :D

Oh, also here in Australia, there was one case where a young bloke (22 i think) broke into a pub owners house, and started to rob it. The owner came home and saw him, and gave the guy the beating of his life.

The robbing bastard was awarded $50,000 for pain and suffering, even though he had no permanet injuries, while the pub owner was charged with assult and given a 5 year good behaviour bond.

Cute responses...but there is far more time to come up with a sensible reply when you have time to think about the situation.

I'm not sure I would know what I would do. My instinct would be to get pissed off and kick butt, but I know that I'm not a skilled pugilist and would probably do more damage to myself than i would to the thief! :rolleyes:

And it might be refreshing at first to get a bit of revenge againt the individual who sought to gain something from his escapade, but I wouldn't get much relief kicking some pea-brained teenager or crack affected loser to a bloody pulp!

The scenario doesn't mention how "desperate" the individual is, so you don't know what that person will resort to when cornered.

Being in Texas, putting a cap in his butt would be a great solution! :D

I would like to immobilize the individual if possible, and notify the authorities. They do take home invasion crimes seriously in our community. At least with a police report filed, it would be easier and quicker to get the insurance claimed processed.

Don't do that in Texas
 

Texas -- you are in my house (garage is part of my house). I fell threatened BANG robber looses, courts system saves $$

Interesting case in England right now where someone caught a burglar in his house and 'defended' himself and his property. Burglar has had the householder prosecuted for assault.

Think I'll come and live in Texas!

What I did with a burglar
 

Interesting post. Because I was involved in such an incident back home in South African some years ago before moving to the US. And I have to say I have precious little tolerance for criminial rights in the manner in which it's taken to lunatic extremes in California etc...

All told in my immediate family we had five radios' stolen from four cars and two cars themselves stolen and one attempted car theft.

In the particular instance I'm thinking of when I surprised a burglar I returned home from work one Saturday morning at 01:30 and as I turned into the garage my 116's headlights revealed an individual walking out of my garage with a bunch of tools in his hands. Obviously small time and probably way more surprised than me. Must have thought everyone was safely asleep by that time...

I jumped out of my car and he threw the tools at me. The drivers door of the S-class made for a decent piece of armor plate as sundry hammers and implements sailed in my direction. I chased him down our driveway, it was a long driveway as the property was over an acre in size but it seemed to me he was not moving nearly as fast as someone caught in the act should have been. In fact he was barely moving.

I realised I was not the type to engage in a fistfight with a criminal and also knew that attemtping to arrest him was a useless exercise in futility the crime situation being what it was. And yet I couldn't see letting him get away without a lesson being learned. So I fired two shots into the lawn just a few yards in front of me and he took off like a bat out of hell. It was quite funny really.

Except later that day my mother discovered a knife lying in exactly the location he'd been at when I fired, along with a disgustingly greasy pair of sunglasses. Obviously the bastard had been pulling his knife out of his jeans pocket, and his glasses came with it, and he dropped them in shock when I fired.

A rather nice example of an arms race working out very much in my favour I think. It was quite a nice knife too with a folding blade made in Solingen Germany. A chemist friend of mine gave it a good sonic bath and I kept if for some years after that.

Interestingly the police back home used to unoficially provide the following advice to people. If there is an intruder in your home the only thing you need to do is ensure you kill them with shots to the front. That way it's your word against a dead criminals and if they are shot in the front it can easily be interpreted as self defence. Of course that would only apply if the individual was facing you or moving towards you. It did not apply in my case where the criminial was moving away, although had I approached any further and had he tried anything with the knife it could have been very different.

Fate hinges on such split second decisions.

- Peter.

I hope nothing happens to me...
 

a neighbor just had his guitar and amp stolen from his house. We live next to a Jr. High school with an open campus and it wouldnt be that hard to do something like that. I am not old enough to concealed carry, but I think I will when I get the chance. Hell, right now I dont even have the money to buy a gun. I have had stuff stolen from me before, and when I found out about it I was quite literally ready to kill, and not just for that day. I wanted to find the bastard that broke into my beloved car and stole my possessions, while doing $2500 worth of body damage. It happened overnight at my own school. I never left anything there again, unless I didnt care if it was stolen or not.

Hate is a bad thing. It will eat away at you. However, anger can empower.

I am currently looking into getting an alarm, but its about $600 with the install. It will have to wait until I get some financial aid to do it.

Anyone know where to get one of those extendable batons that the cops have?

Also, I have heard about a burglar suing a family and winning because they had knives on a counter under a sun-window (in the roof, cant remember what they are called normally) in their kitchen. He fell through, and fell on the knives. He sued the family for negilgence and won. I couldnt believe it.