Man Confronts Purse Snatcher

Brad Correia was tucking his young children into bed when he heard a knock at the front door. He holstered his .45, then opened the door to find an 18-year-old man claiming his car had broken down. According to police, Correia let him in. “His clothes were soaked, he was bleeding and he’d lost one sneaker in the mud. I thought that if he were my son, I’d want someone to help him ... ,” Correia explained. But the teen’s story kept changing, so Correia secretly phoned police and discovered that his guest was a suspected purse-snatcher. When the suspect realized who was on the other line, he leapt from the chair. “That’s when I pulled my gun,” Correia said. The suspect quickly changed his tune and police apprehended him within minutes. The Standard-Times - New Bedford, MA

Armed Citizen Teaches Thug Valuable Lesson

When Eric MacFarlane saw three teenagers kick in his neighbor’s door, he got his pistol and told a neighbor to call police. Fearing his neighbor’s small children were endangered, he ran to the scene. Police say two of the teens immediately fled, but MacFarlane found one in the doorway. “I told him to step back and lay down if he wanted to live,” MacFarlane recalls. “Then I talked to him about what direction his life was going in.” The teen said he broke in for money. MacFarlane told him he’s lucky the decision didn’t get him shot. “I just hope this young man has learned a lesson,” MacFarlane explained, adding that he doesn’t believe in violence. “[MacFarlane] did a really great job,” said Midwest City, Okla., police Capt. Sid Porter. “We’re probably going to issue him a commendation.” The Oklahoman - Oklahoma City, OK

Passing Motorist Rescues Good Samaritan

Upon witnessing a man yelling at a woman and pushing her into a van, a passerby tried to be a Good Samaritan. Police say he asked the woman if she was okay and told her she didn’t have to get into the man’s vehicle. While stopped at a traffic light moments later, the van’s driver confronted the man. Both men exited their vehicles, and the van’s driver knocked the Good Samaritan to the ground. Two women, including the woman the victim tried to help, exited the van and began stomping on him. A passing motorist witnessed the scene and quickly stopped. He drew a firearm and ordered the three suspects to halt the beating. Police received reports of a man holding people at gunpoint, but quickly determined he had a concealed carry permit and arrested the three suspects. Ann Arbor News - Ann Arbor, MI

Intruder Returns After Police Leave

It was a terrifying night that refused to end. Edith and William Stevens, both in their 80s, had already scared away an intruder. According to the sheriff's department, deputies completed an investigation and left, but two hours later the couple heard gunshots outside their home and glass breaking. William got his handgun and investigated. Finding an intruder in the hallway, he opened fire and the intruder returned it. "Had Mr. Stevens not had that handgun, I don't know what could have happened," said Maury County, Tenn., Chief Deputy Ashley Brown. The couple locked themselves in the bedroom and tried to phone police, but the lines were cut. The intruder, who police believe was after money for drugs, fired once more through a window. After discovering the intruder had fled, the couple phone police from a neighbor's house. The Daily Herald - Columbia, TN