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Suspected burglar breaks into armed grandpa's house. It was the wrong decision: 'I told him to get down on his knees in the front of the bed'
Image source: WEWS-TV video screenshot

Suspected burglar breaks into armed grandpa's house. It was the wrong decision: 'I told him to get down on his knees in the front of the bed'

Better to be safe than sorry

A burglary suspect broke into an elderly Ohio man's home on Tuesday morning, and left with a police escort.

The homeowner, who reportedly possesses a concealed carry permit, pulled out his trusted firearm and held the intruder at bay until the police arrived.

What are the details?

Daniel McGown, a 73-year-old Akron resident, stopped a 51-year-old man who is accused of breaking into McGown's home.

The suspect, Thomas Gaffney of Akron, reportedly entered the home of McGown — a former attorney — just after 5:15 a.m. on Tuesday. McGown heard his doorbell ring several times, and then yelling inside the home.

Before heading downstairs, McGown gabbed his 9 mm pistol, which was under a pillow in a second floor bedroom, according to WEWS-TV.

Having armed himself, McGown crept down the stairs and confronted Gaffney in the home's living room.

"I pointed the pistol at him and said, 'If you don't move, I won't shoot you,'" McGown told the station. "[Gaffney] said, 'Don't shoot me.'"

McGown kept the loaded pistol trained on Gaffney, and led him upstairs, where his cellphone was. Gaffney complied with McGown's demands to go upstairs. When the two arrived on the second story of the home, McGown demanded Gaffney get down on his knees while he phoned authorities.

"I told him to get down on his knees in front of the bed, lay down on it with his arms out, and I called police," he said. "They showed up, and here he was."

What else?

According to the news outlet, McGown suffered a previous break-in in recent days while he was out of town. The suspect, who has yet to be identified, was able to remove guns, ammunition, electronics, and other items from the home.

The Akron Police Department is investigating whether Gaffney could be a suspect in the first burglary.

McGown said that he wasn't about to let Gaffney slip through his hands.

"My home was being violated and here was a guy doing it in my presence. Here's the guy, and I just wanted to make him stop doing that," the homeowner told WEWS.

Authorities charged Gaffney with burglary and possession of drug paraphernalia.

"They picked the wrong house," he added.

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