*A 15-year-old boy was alone in his mother’s apartment when he heard a strange sound. Upon glancing into the living room, he discovered a masked man armed with an illegally possessed firearm. Police said the boy fled to his mother’s bedroom and grabbed a .22-cal. pistol. He then locked himself inside the attached bathroom and listened to the burglar ransacking the home. When the burglar attempted to enter the bathroom, the boy fired three shots. The burglar fled the scene. It is unknown if he was injured. (Times Daily, Florence, AL, 06/18/10)

*Desperate for narcotics, a man wearing a ski mask and armed with a spear and a baseball bat burst into a pharmacy. Technician Paul Hemmer confronted the masked man before he had a chance to toss the spear. Police said Hemmer drew his licensed handgun and asked the man, “Do you really want to do this?” The masked man considered Hemmer’s logic for a moment and quickly fled the scene. Law enforcement lauded Hemmer’s actions. “Not only did Paul Hemmer defend himself, co-workers and a customer … he also prevented dangerous drugs from getting out on the street,” said Sullivan County, N.Y., Sheriff Michael Schiff. “Mr. Hemmer acted courageously and with great restraint.” (Daily Freeman, Kingston, NY, 06/04/10)

The Armed Cititzen Extra

(The following account did not appear in the print version of American Rifleman.)

When three 20-something men entered a mom-and-pop tire shop wielding guns and demanding money, the shop owners—a man and his wife—were prepared. As her husband handed the cash over to the intruders, Kimberly Llorens ran out the back of the building to grab her Colt .25 pistol. As the men took off, Kimberly chased after them and fired a shot at their legs, causing them to drop the tray of money they had just stolen. The couple was able to get $235 of the stolen money back. The Bellmead police were still in search of the criminals when this article went to press. (Waco Tribune-Herald, Waco, TX, 5/15/10)

From the Armed Citizen Archive

September 1976: Elmo Ethington's wife telephoned him at home and told him that the Simpsonville, Ky., bank she manages had been robbed. Ethington ran to his car, took the nearest road, and shortly encountered the robber's car. He gave chase, first on the highway and then on foot, subdued the thief at gunpoint, then flagged down a highway patrolman who took the man into custody. (The Daily Press, Newport News, VA)