Dave Svensen, 69, was witness to a 22-year-old man's crime spree at a Seattle yacht club. The man used a stolen boat to cause an estimated $500,000 in damage. He rammed other boats docked at the marina, as well as a support post, causing a section of the marina's roof to collapse. Svensen borrowed a shotgun from the owner of an adjacent boat to end the aggressor's out-of-control behavior and prevent anyone from getting hurt. Svensen fired, striking the suspect in the head and hands. However, medics characterized his injuries as non life-threatening. The suspect was treated before being arrested under multiple felony charges. He was reportedly under the influence of narcotics at the time of the rampage. (The Seattle Times, Seattle, Wash., 9/17/13)
A 72-year-old woman was able to scare off two burglars who broke into her home through the garage door. She was sleeping in her bedroom, where she kept the door locked, around 8 a.m. When the resident heard someone trying to open her bedroom door, she armed herself with a firearm and opened the door. "I think I surprised them, but I also had a gun in my hand," the woman said of the incident. Upon seeing the gun, the burglars fled only with items of little value. There was a third suspect waiting in a getaway car outside. All three suspects, however, were later caught and charged with suspicion of burglary and accessory to a crime. (Del Norte Triplicate, Crescent City, Calif., 1/9/14)
From The Armed Citizen® Archives:
April 1933: Kidnapped and then threatened with attack, a 16-year-old Chicago high school girl saved herself when she picked up the man's rifle and held him under threat. The man was captured.
