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East County News Service
March 11, 2018 (El Cajon) — Awakened by his dogs barking, a homeowner in the 1100 block of Mona Place near West Chase Avenue looked outside around 1:15 a.m. and reportedly saw a man breaking into his vehicle parked in front of the house.
“The resident armed himself with a handgun for his safety and went outside to confront the suspect,” says Lt. Walt Miller with the El Cajon Police Department, which responded to a 911 call reporting the sounds of gunfire.
A press release issued by ECPD indicates police believe a confrontation occurred and that the homeowner shot at the suspect multiple times, striking him at least once.
The suspect fled in his own vehicle and crashed into the front yard of a house in the 1000 block of Chase. Officers and paramedics responded to the crash scene, where the suspect was pronounced dead.
El Cajon Police Homicide Detectives are investigating this incident. There are no outstanding suspects and no arrests have been made.
“The victim is cooperating with this investigation,” says Lt. Miller.
Identity of the suspect, age 32, has not been released pending notification of kin by the San Diego Medical Examiner’s office.
Comments
Possible problems
Shooter in trouble now
Defending property
is not by itself an acceptable defense for shooting a thief or would-be thief.
If it became a matter of self defense, however, such as if the thief was armed and pulled a gun on the homeowner and threatened to shoot, then the homeowner's actions could be justifiable legally. We don't know what he told the officers, or if there was any withess.
But folks, if you see someone breaking into your vehicle, it's wisest to just call 911 and let the police or sheriff deal with the criminal . Confronting an intruder is dangerous -- you could be shot, stabbed, or if you harm the intruder, you could wind up in jail.
Also it's wise not to leave valuables in your vehicle, since insurance will cover most costs associated with a stolen vehicle, but not property inside the vehicle which may however be covered under a homeowner or renter's insurance policy.