74-Year-Old Woman Holds 21-Year-Old Burglary Suspect Gunpoint

While it is true that there is generally less crime in rural parts of the country, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen. Rural areas can be attractive to criminals because of fewer witnesses and often much slower police response times.

A 74-year-old woman in rural Ferndale, CA, apparently knew this since she was armed when she arrived home later in the evening to find her door open. According to the Sheriff’s spokesperson:

“Deputies learned that the resident arrived home to find the door open and several items out of place. While inside the home, the resident located [the suspect]. At that time, the resident drew her personal firearm, holding [the suspect] at gunpoint until deputies’ arrival.”

“Deputies arrived on scene and observed a 74-year-old female in possession of a firearm, detaining a male suspect. The resident complied with deputies’ requests to set aside the weapon, and the firearm was rendered safe.”

The suspect was later booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of first-degree burglary.

Good for this woman for accepting the responsibility of being her own first responder, but she made some potentially grave tactical errors that night.

Finding a door open and several items moved means that someone is or was in your home. Going through the home to check to see if someone is still there is a risky move. What if there had been more than one intruder or if this suspect had not complied with this woman’s assumed orders to stay put? What if the intruder had been armed as well? She could have been ambushed in her own home and/or seriously injured or killed in a gunfight.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen. If you suspect someone could be in your home, whether you are armed or not, get to a safe place, call 911 and wait for the police to secure your home. They are trained to do that, and more than one will be there.