Fed-up residents hold suspect burglar at gunpoint until police arrive

22 August 2023 , 17:10

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An armed Texas resident caught a suspected burglar trespassing on their property and held him at gunpoint until police arrived, according to authorities (Image: Fayette County Sheriff's Office)

A Texas man managed to subdue a burglar in his home by holding him at gunpoint until police arrived.

One Texas homeowner invested in a licence and a gun when he moved to his property as a safety precaution - in full anticipation of the nightmare scenario where he'd have to use it.

Early last Friday, dispatchers received a call from a man saying that he spotted a suspicious individual snooping around the cars on the property. Then the man entered and exited a building on the property.

"A resident with a firearm confronted the subject and ordered them onto the ground at gunpoint, detaining them there," the sheriff’s office posted to Facebook.

In the battle of gun laws, several agencies report different numbers for self-defense versus gun crimes (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Deputy Chase Ceder appeared on the scene an unclear amount of time later, and was met with resistance from the alleged culprit, identified as 47-year-old Brian Schmitt.

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"Deputy Chase Ceder made the scene and attempted to secure the subject in handcuffs, at which time they began resisting and a struggle ensued. Deputy Ceder was assisted in the struggle by two citizens from the residence. With the citizens’ assistance and Sgt. Meagher’s arrival, the subject was restrained and taken into custody as he continued to resist," said the sheriff’s office said.

"The subject, Brian Schmitt, age 47 of Fayetteville, was arrested for the offences of Burglary of a Building and Resisting Arrest and was transported to the Dan R. Beck Justice Center where he was released into the custody of Jail staff," continued the press release.

The press statement concluded: "The Sheriff’s Office would like to commend the citizens involved for their quick thinking, willingness to act, and assistance of Deputy Ceder in this case. It is truly a pleasure to work in an area where we can count on the ongoing support of the community to stand behind us and, in cases like this, even physically aid us when necessary."

Brian Schmitt, 47, was taken into custody on charges of burglary of a building and resisting arrest after being held at gunpoint by an armed citizen (Fayette County Sheriff's Office)

Cases like these are few and far between. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), a twice-yearly poll of crime victims conducted by the federal government, 'defensive gun uses,' or guns used in self-defence, do not outnumber gun crimes.

There are seven times as many gun crimes (484,800) as there are instances of defensive gun use (70,040) each year in the US, according to the survey. But these numbers differ depending on who you ask.

While the NCVS data is missing instances of home defence in its survey, the number that conservatives use to justify the purchase of guns is based on an estimation - with no documentation to back it up. The 1995 'data' published by Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz is a widely cited figure that estimates that 2.5 million Americans use their guns 'in defence' every year.

The story of a citizen who actually managed to stop a criminal with a gun is rare, say researchers (Getty Images)

The problem is, according to researchers, that if someone is shot by a civilian while trespassing, they don't often seek medical attention, making it hard to track these statistics accurately.

Their research is also based on a self-response survey, which isn't the most accurate. "The researchers who look at [Kleck's study] say this is just bad science," says David Hemenway, a Harvard researcher.

"It's a well-known problem in epidemiology that if something's a rare event, and you just try to ask how many people have done this, you will get incredible overestimates."

Yelena Mandenberg