Colorado Man Charged With Assault After Using Nunchucks in 'Self-Defense

Most people prefer a shotgun or pistol for home defense, but at least one Colorado man claims he had to use a weapon associated with martial arts legend Bruce Lee and assorted movie ninjas: nunchucks.

Eric Glukowsky stands accused of felony assault after he claims he was forced to use his nunchucks to defend himself and his girlfriend after an intruder entered his Larimer County, Colorado apartment last week.

Police, however, stated that Glukowsky wasn't defending himself and instead injured two people with the ancient sticks, which are classified under Colorado law as a deadly weapon. Police also said Glukowsky barricaded himself into his apartment and they had to use a foam baton to break his window to access the apartment.

At that point, Glukowsky surrendered.

For his part, Glukowsky told a very different story before his court appearance in Larimer yesterday. He claimed he was defending himself against a drunk, belligerent man. He explained the intruder forced his way into the apartment, and even claimed he was an undercover sheriff's deputy carrying a loaded weapon, and added that after the incident, he took sleeping pills and didn't hear police when they called for him to come outside.

"You just don't break yourself into somebody's apartment, wanting to fight," he told the local news regarding the incident. "And I had a pair of nunchucks on my TV stand, and I wacked him on the head with 'em. And pushed him out, while he was punching me."

Glukowsky believes he should be protected under Colorado's "Make My Day" law, which protects citizens from prosecution if they are protecting their homes.

While the court tries to sort out whether this was a justified use of nunchucks, KUSA-TV reports initial background checks on Glukowksy show a lengthy criminal history that includes DUI, criminal trespassing and theft. In addition to that, there are reports the police have found inconsistencies in Glukowsky's testimony.

Watch the video below for more details on the case, courtesy of KUSA: