Armed Thug Threatens Ariz. Man and His Wife – But It Wasn't the Homeowner Who Needed Help

(KTVK)

An Arizona homeowner shot an armed man who broke into his Sun City home early Friday morning, Maricopa County sheriff's deputies said. The suspect was able to elude authorities for hours after being shot but was apprehended at a local golf course.

The armed suspect, identified as 33-year-old Joshua Barnes, allegedly broke into a home at around 2 a.m. and threatened the homeowner.

When the thug went to say something to the homeowner's wife, the would-be burglary victim retrieved his own gun and shot the suspect.

Barnes was able to escape despite being shot by the homeowner. Investigators found the suspect's bloody trail but it took them hours to arrest him.

More from KTVK:

Eight hours later, with the temperature rising, the search crews got a break in the form of a call reporting a man walking awkwardly on the 16th hole of the Sun City Country Club.

Brian Smalley happened to be nearby.

“I noticed he had a cloth around his right hand, which I thought was a glove when I first looked at it," he said. "Then I looked at it again and it was blood running up his arm, looked like he was stopping the bleeding.”

Smalley called 911 and within seconds the wounded wanted man was surrounded by SWAT officers and sheriff's deputies. They knew he had been hit when the homeowner opened fire, but were weren't sure exactly what kind of injuries he sustained. Finally catching up with him, they discovered he had been shot in the hand and grazed in the neck.

Neither the homeowner or his wife were injured in the attempted burglary.

Sun City local Walter Ready told KTVK that theft is common in the area, however, items are usually stolen from outside homes.

"We have a few little degenerates that run around here," he said. "I would hope that it's not one of them."

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