The Armed Citizen® May 30, 2025

Armed Citizen® Today

A suspected burglar in Miami Beach, Fla., ended up in police custody after encountering a well-armed family during an attempted break-in on Thursday, February 27.

According to reporters, the homeowner saw video surveillance footage of the alleged burglar breaking into his property. The homeowner grabbed his gun and gave his wife another gun. He then grabbed a flashlight and went downstairs to face the suspect. "I saw him in my courtyard by my front door. I pulled my gun on him. I told him, 'Freeze. I've got a gun. I will shoot you.' He looked at me, and he started running away from me."

The burglary suspect apparently hopped a fence into a neighboring yard, but he soon ran into more trouble. Police responded in force, leading to a massive manhunt for the individual. SWAT teams, K-9 units, more than a dozen police cars and a Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office helicopter combed the area for the suspect, who was found and taken to jail. He faces charges of occupied burglary. (7 News Miami; Miami Beach, Fla.; 2/27/25)

From the Armed Citizen® Archives – March 1982

When an armed robber pointed a .22-cal. pistol at him and demanded money, Tulsa, Okla., liquor store owner Thomas Shaw reached instead for a .357 Mag. revolver. He opened up and hit the criminal once in the head and three times in the chest, killing him on the spot.

The robber had a criminal record dating back to 1942 and had killed a man in 1952. Police called the dead man an "11-time loser." (The Tribune, Tulsa, Okla.)