Shock video: Burglar gets rude surprise during truck break-in after the owner takes matters into his own hands to deter criminals

Frustrated with rampant crime, a Louisiana man recently rigged his truck with a flash-bang to deter criminals from burglarizing the vehicle — and based on newly released surveillance video, the unusual tactic worked.

WDSU-TV reported Tuesday that the truck owner, a man from Metairie, Louisiana, who wished to remain anonymous, said he was tired of criminals breaking into his truck, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

Sure enough, surveillance footage caught a suspect attempting to break into the truck while it was parked on the side of a street in New Orleans.

The video shows a white sedan pull up next to the truck before a man dressed in all black and wearing a hoodie jumps out of the passenger seat.

The burglary suspect then breaks the truck's driver's side window and climbs part-way into the vehicle. That's when the flash-bang suddenly went off, surprising the burglar and sending him and his getaway driver scurrying from the scene.

In response to the video, the New Orleans Police Department reportedly put out a statement urging residents not to deter car burglaries by rigging explosives.

"While we understand the frustrations our citizens have with crime, rigging an explosive device to detonate inside a vehicle is illegal and a bad idea," the department said. "Not only is there a risk of injury to yourself and others, [but there could also be] serious legal ramifications for everyone involved."

"Please call your District station or Crimestoppers to report illegal activity," it added.

Speaking with WDSU, the Metairie man expressed that he understands his actions weren't the best way to prevent crime but added that he had grown exasperated over the frequency with which his truck was being burglarized.

The video elicited a wide range of responses on Twitter, though many seemed to side with the truck owner and complain that police inaction has left residents with no good options.

"NOPD urges residents not to break into other people's cars (fixed it for you)," one commenter said.

Another replied, "Correct, residents should use fragmentation grenades instead."

"Follow up question to the NOPD. Are you going to take carjacking and car robbery seriously OR continue to force residents to find ways to deter criminals?" still another added.

One person even quipped: "How, specifically, should I not rig a flash bang in my vehicle?"