The Armed Citizen® July 19, 2024

Armed Citizen® Today

A trio of burglars was confronted by an armed citizen in Labelle, Fla., leading to the arrest of one of the suspects and a manhunt for the other two.

Police were dispatched to the residence at about 3 p.m. on April 15, with the caller saying they had three suspects held at gunpoint. The caller was a relative of the homeowner who was checking on the property with other relatives when they found the front door of the house open. They also heard voices from the back of the property.

When they went around the house to investigate, they saw two men and a woman standing next to a truck and trailer, with tools and cutting equipment laying on the ground around them. Metal siding from the building behind the house was also next to the truck. When police arrived, only one suspect, a 30-year-old male, was being held at gunpoint, and the other two suspects had fled into a wooded area. Officers dispatched K9 units to track the suspects, but at the time of reporting, the Hendry County Sheriff's Office was still working to identify the missing suspects.

The 30-year-old suspect held at gunpoint by the armed citizen was taken into custody and faces charges of burglary, grand theft and criminal mischief and had an outstanding warrant from a neighboring county. (LakeONews.com; Labelle, Fla.; 4/15/24)

From the Armed Citizen® Archives – October 1973

Police warned Jack Spivey, Jr., that the burglars he had frightened away from his Oklahoma City, Okla., home might return. Later, Spivey heard noises and stepped into the hallway with a .22-cal. rifle. When he spotted a man climbing through a bedroom window, Spivey fired once and killed the intruder. (The Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, Okla.)