Defensive Carry banner

What if the bad guy bolts?

6K views 58 replies 39 participants last post by  Eagleks 
#1 ·
Here is a YouTube video of a guy catching a thief making off with his TV



Nothing really special here. However, in this scenario, when the homeowner confronts the BG with a shotgun, had the BG just put down the TV and bolted, what was the homeowner going to do? Shoot him in the back? Probably not. And the BG would have gotten away.

I am not sure why BGs just don't run away when confronted, knowing that the GG is probably NOT going to shoot him as he runs away.
 
#2 ·
If I were the BG, I wouldn't take that chance, regardless of the likelihood of being shot in the back. If I'm unarmed and having the barrel of a gun pointing at me, you bet that I'll do exactly what the thief did in the video; obey.
 
#4 ·
IMHO you shoot someone who is already outside your home, even if he has his hands full of your "stuff" you have committed murder of some form thereof per legal definition. If he had been found in the house, castle doctrine would have allowed you to reasonable assume imminent danger and you can shoot him. Personally, over stuff, I doubt I would shoot someone unless my presumption of imminent danger really rose to a level where I was truly frightened for my life.
In SC, at night, and I stress at night, Section 17-13-20 of the SC Code of Laws allows for you to affect a citizen's arrest and use any means to stop the probability of escape, "even if the life of the person should be taken" when the person has committed a felony, forcibly entered without permission, has stolen property in his possession or you have just suspicion of his design to steal or commit some felony and flees when he is hailed. In other words--at night if you are a BG in SC, you are taking your life in your hands, literally, if you want to be a bad boy.
 
#5 ·
I personally don't care what the law says.

I'm not taking another persons life, over stuff, period. Nothing I own is uninsured. If I'm not concerned for my life, or the life of a loved one, or an innocent, the BG gets a walk. Taking a life, whether legally justified or not, isn't something anyone should want to do.

There will be some residual damage (psychologically), no matter how tough you think you are. I have many friends and former coworkers who still struggle with the after affects of this, and it it just isn't worth it to protect your damn TV, IMHO.

Having said all of that, the game changes when I fear for my life, or the life of a loved one, or innocents. Then you do what you have to do, and deal with the aftermath the best way you can.
 
#28 ·
Two specific comments on your reply.
1) I hope your comment about the law is not in response to my factoid about a section in the SC Code of Laws, as defined in my Reply #4---I only quoted the law and did indicate that I am not going to shoot someone over "stuff"--it is not imminent danger in my appreciation of what imminent danger means to me personally and within the Code of Law
2) You mention the psychological effect a shooting has had on friends etal. When I decided to purchase a firearm, I was convinced after thoughtful consideration that if I am in imminent danger and am required to discharge my firearm and even end up killing someone, that my well-being easily trumps the "not so well-being" of my adversary. If I had the slightest doubt, which could translate into those few milli-seconds of delay in my defensive reaction, I would not have bothered obtaining a firearm. If this should exist in anyone, they had better get over it real quickly because the BG has none and he will kill you.
 
#6 ·
No threat to life or wellbeing, no shot.
If the BG runs away, he absolutely might get away, but after a change of underwear and some reflection on the incident that caused the need for a fresh pair of panties, he might be less likely to return. If he does return, then it might be assumed that harmful revenge is on his mind... in which case: double-tap.
 
#7 ·
As citizens, our objective is to stop the threat. We are not the police. It is not our job to pursue. If they flee when confronted,and no one is hurt, so much the better. Threat is over. In my opinion he should not have went on the offensive and confronted the guy, that's a job for the police. He should have called them. If it had turned bad and he shot him, he would be accused of being a vigilanty and going on the offensive and causing the confrontation to escalate, and maybe lost the privledge of self defense.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sensei2 and LM2024
#8 ·
H.E. Double Hockey Sticks, its Texas for cripes sake.
The homeowner could have shot the idiot and the police would have shown up and pushed him(the perp) into the bushes and put a vase with some flowers in his folded hands and made a planter out of him.

On a more serious note, it was kinda funny watching the scumbag get real intimate with the lawn.
 
  • Like
Reactions: diver1102
#9 ·
My understanding is that you can only shoot at someone who is threatening your life or someone else's... In any other situation you would be committing a crime. I am not going to go to jail for some other idiot... I can see the headlines... Would be thief gets 6 months for stealing TV, homeowner who shots would be thief in the back gets 10 years!
 
#11 ·
Depends on your state... Texas Penal Code -

§ 9.42. DEADLY FORCE TO PROTECT PROPERTY. A person is
justified in using deadly force against another to protect land or
tangible, movable property:
(1) if he would be justified in using force against the
other under Section 9.41; and
(2) when and to the degree he reasonably believes the
deadly force is immediately necessary:
(A) to prevent the other's imminent commission of
arson, burglary, robbery, aggravated robbery, theft during the
nighttime, or criminal mischief during the nighttime; or
(B) to prevent the other who is fleeing
immediately after committing burglary, robbery, aggravated
robbery, or theft during the nighttime from escaping with the
property; and
(3) he reasonably believes that:
(A) the land or property cannot be protected or
recovered by any other means; or
(B) the use of force other than deadly force to
protect or recover the land or property would expose the actor or
another to a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury.
 
#12 ·
Depends on where one lives. Like has been pointed out already, where the homeowner lives, he would have been ok under our current statutes.

It did turn out well without having to shoot the BG however.

Maybe a shotgun blast to the knee would have slowed this guy down just enough to make the chase a bit more interesting though if he had attempted to flee. Yea, yea, I know you're not supposed to shoot to wound, but the idea of the guy hobbling off holding a blown out knee at about 1/4 mph seems reasonable. It certainly would give the BG something to remember you by. :smile:
 
  • Like
Reactions: 68blackbird
#13 ·
IDAHO
TITLE 18
CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS
CHAPTER 40
HOMICIDE
18-4009. JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE BY ANY PERSON. Homicide is also justifiable when committed by any person in either of the following cases:
1. When resisting any attempt to murder any person, or to commit a felony, or to do some great bodily injury upon any person; or,
2. When committed in defense of habitation, property or person, against one who manifestly intends or endeavors, by violence or surprise, to commit a felony, or against one who manifestly intends and endeavors, in a violent, riotous or tumultuous manner, to enter the habitation of another for the purpose of offering violence to any person therein; or,
3. When committed in the lawful defense of such person, or of a wife or husband, parent, child, master, mistress or servant of such person, when there is reasonable ground to apprehend a design to commit a felony or to do some great bodily injury, and imminent danger of such design being accomplished; but such person, or the person in whose behalf the defense was made, if he was the assailant or engaged in mortal combat, must really and in good faith have endeavored to decline any further struggle before the homicide was committed; or,
4. When necessarily committed in attempting, by lawful ways and means, to apprehend any person for any felony committed, or in lawfully suppressing any riot, or in lawfully keeping and preserving the peace.

If I were not in fear of my life I would let the guy have the TV, call the cops and file an insurance claim (Need a new TV anyhow).
 
#14 ·
if some one was breaking into a neighbors i would confront him with a gun to scare him away from this whole neighborhood. if some one breaks into my house at daytime or night time then they have bad intentions in the first place, their for need to be shot. i'm minding my own business and not harming others so if someones coming to bother me or my family in our home and invading our space then its necessary for him to be shot or stabbed, if you don't have a gun.
 
#15 ·
If its me and the BG bolts, I'd likely put a round in the dirt a good ways behind him so that whenever he gets where he's going he had to change his drawers. Other than that, I'd let him bolt.
 
#18 ·
I was in a situation where the BGs bolted once.

I was 15 years old and living at home with my parents. My room was on the front of the house with a wrap around porch on two sides of my room. It wa summer, hot, and my windows were open. Two drunk men vandalized a car in the driveway. The noise woke me up, and about the time I realized what was happening they started towards the porch. I closed the windows. They came up and started trying to get in. While they were ripping the screen off of a window, I grabbed my Remington pump .22 that was loaded. With the screen out, they put a wooden baseball bat through the glass and one of them stuck his head and arms through and started to climb in. I racked the slide and put 2 rounds in the wall just below him. If he had kept coming, the next one was aimed at his head. He backed out and they stumbled off the porch and through the yard. I stood there in my ****** tidies pumping 22 rounds in the dirt just behind them to make sure they didn't come back. About that time, my Dad comes through the door to find me there in my drawers pumping rounds out the window and glass everywhere.

The cops were called and the guys were caught the next morning. That night the officer asked me if I thought I hit either of them and I said, "Heck no, if I had wanted to hit them you wouldn't have any trouble finding them. I shoot 500 rounds through this thing every Saturday."

They never made an issue out of my warning shots. The officer also told me that I would have been well within my rights to have shot the guy as he was entering my window. Hey, at 15, I did the best I could do with the wherewithall I had at the time.
 
#26 ·
Warning shots in my book are a no no... you could shoot a round off in the air and pray it doesn't come down and kill someone by mistake or shooting into the ground and pray it doesnt ricochet and hit an innocent bystander. That is how I was taught.

I would only draw if I felt me, my family or innocents were in danger. Once the danger is over there would be no reason for me to fire.

I have only had to deal with 2 home invasions. First one was a guy on my dads platoon (I was 15 or 16 and we lived in a house in the real upstate ny.... Gouverneur) woke up one morning and the front door was wide open and this guy was fast asleep on the living room couch. Got my shotgun and woke my brother. I was young and stupid and was interested in messing with guy... unloaded the shotgun so I don't accidentally shoot him. Wacked him on the nose with the barrel while my brother woke up my dad. Guy crapped himself and it didn't take long for the sheriff to show up. Come to find out the guy got drunk at a local bar and couldn't find a way back to base ( bout an hours drive) and stumbled in our house and passed out. No charges were filed and since my dad was his supervisor he had his work cut out for him once work resumed Monday.

The second time was when i was 21 or 22. Pregnant wife in Navy housing in San Diego. Came home one day and a guy was sleeping on the couch.. emptied the frig and went to sleep. Didnt mess with this guy ( lesson learned from my dad who gave me a strong talking to about confronting strangers in the house). I also didnt have anything to protect us if they guy was a looney. Took about 45 minutes for police to arrive and remove the guy before we went inside again.

Today I live in Colorado on the Western side and obviously have a hd plan since now I have two kids. I also have two dogs that bark at strangers. Driveway is about a quarter mile and dogs go crazy when a car turns on it.
 
#27 ·
If the BG runs you chase him down shoot him and drag him back in the house. Problem solved. :)
I'm joking. Yeah if he runs away it would be risky to chase him not knowing who is outside waiting. So if the BG runs out the house let him go since your most important items and people are in the house.
 
#32 ·
If BG runs or makes and effort to leave you had better stand down and let them go. If they are leaving you are no longer in danger and will be arrested.
That make that very clear here.
 
#33 ·
I'll say it one last time. AT NIGHT in South Carolina, the above statement by Smitty is incorrect; refer to SC Code of Law/ Sections 17-13-10 to 17-13-30. Clear as day and upheld in court. Let me make it clear, that I agree with Smitty and these Sections of the law only apply AT NIGHT.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top