Posted on 08/24/2006 8:40:43 AM PDT by skyman
Parents in danger: The boy breaks free of duct tape, plunges knife five times into the man's back
CEDAR CITY - Police in southern Utah are calling a 17-year-old boy a hero after he fatally stabbed an armed intruder who broke into his family's home early Wednesday.
Iron County Sheriff Mark Gower described the boy as a level-headed kid "who, in my opinion, saved his family's lives."
It all began when a 19-year-old Las Vegas man, who was recently fired from a construction company owned by the family, broke into their home at 2650 N. 2200 West, near Cedar City, and held the boy and his parents at gunpoint, Gower said.
The masked intruder, whose name was not released, removed an air conditioning unit from the boy's bedroom window around 4 a.m. and climbed into the home with a semi-automatic pistol, Gower said. He woke the boy and bound him with duct tape.
The man then entered the master bedroom and bound the boy's parents with duct tape. At one point, the boy's stepfather began wresting with the intruder. While the stepfather fought with the intruder, the boy was able to free himself. He then pulled a 6-inch hunting knife from beneath his bed, walked into his parents' bedroom and stabbed the intruder five times in the back, Gower said.
The intruder continued wrestling with the boy's stepfather until he realized he had lost his gun, Gower said. He then told the family he was leaving and tried to exit through a locked front door. When he couldn't get out, a family member unlocked the deadbolt and let him out. The intruder then collapsed about 100 to 150 feet from the side of the home. The family called police. The boy's mother stood outside wrapped in a blanket next to her husband as paramedics worked on the unconscious man, neighbor Linda Chapman said. She said the couple were visibly upset.
"This is spooky because this a very quiet neighborhood," Chapman said.
The intruder was transported to Valley View Medical Center in Cedar City, where he was pronounced dead.
Gower said the Iron County Attorney's Office wasn't planning on prosecuting the 17-year-old boy. "We feel pretty confident it was justified," Gower said.
A 10-year-old girl was also in the home at the time of the break-in, but the intruder did not enter her room and she did not see the attack.
"We don't know if [the intruder] was there to even the score or rob them," Gower said.
The shaken family left while investigators processed evidence in their home and towed the intruder's car, which was parked about a block from the house.
"They're shook up, very shook up, understandably," Gower said. "They've had a lot of emotion with them today."
Duh! That's an understatement
"We feel pretty confident it was justified,"
Yeah, I'd say so.
Another bad guy bites the dust.
I noticed that too... what gives?!
understatement indeed. the correct response would've been to look at the reporter like he's an idiot and give a resounding "Hell no!"
I think we need a Utah "ping" Just yesterday there was an article posted about a former Marine who thwarted a convenience store robbery by throwing the would be robber on the ground, pinning him and sitting on him until police arrived. Did anyone else read it?
That jumped out at me too. I say we get a pool going. Was it Pedro, Achmed or Tom?
"Was it Pedro, Achmed or Tom?"
Aw, you really shouldn't do that. You've got me laughing at my desk now. (I could get in trouble, doncha know!)
The title of this story should have been "Duct Tape Failure Results in Death of Man". There, I fixed it for the MSN folks.
Read it and saw it on the news the night before. I'm not sure if there is a Utah Ping list that is official, but soccer8 or colorcountry usually pings me with anything about Utah, specifically rallies and marches, etc.
Or "Unregistered hunting knife leads to death of unfortunate misguided socially deprived child" (he was under 21 after all.)
Now, now. There's a whole host of minorites that need protection, not just Mexies or Mussies.
He could have been a gang member, which would exlain the need for releasing the exact address of the incident. /sarc
Even what score???? do reporters ever ask follow up questions????
There is a lesson to be learned here. Window shaker air conditioners are like an open door to intruders.
Most are secured in the window principally by the sash the majority of the weight is outside the window. A person pulling down on the air conditioner from the outside can easily pull out the air conditioner and break the sash and enter your home through that window opening.
Also if you dont have a loaded gun under your bed a knife isnt a bad alternative. It works for me.
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,645195431,00.html
I know!! There's so many things wrong with this article!!!
I love a happy ending. Makes me all weepy...
Now that's what I call getting stabbed in the back!
IBTP ping HA!
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