Stealing a horse was once a capital crime. Cars are today’s equivalent of a horse.
When stealing a horse was a capital offense, the sentence was still passed by a court.
Exactly.
Well, no. If you stole a man's horse in the Old West, he might die in the desert before he could walk to civilization. Thus, stealing his transport was sometimes the equivalent of murder. He couldn't just as easily call for an Uber.
Whatever the justification for defending your car with force, it's not equivalent to stealing a horse in the Old West.