Case Study: Man’s Quick Thinking Ends Home Invasion Without Firing a Shot
As concealed carriers, one of the best training tools we have is to study a variety of self-defense cases and learn from them.
By evaluating these situations and looking at what went wrong, what went right, and how it might have been handled differently, we gain a better understanding of how these incidents unfold and become better prepared to defend ourselves.
In 2023, a simple neighborhood altercation got out of hand, leading to a defensive encounter. Fortunately, one resident’s quick thinking and situational awareness prevented anyone from getting seriously hurt. Let’s break down this great example of home protection, and take note of how they were able to avoid catastrophe.
Incident Breakdown
A little after 2:00 a.m. in a middle-class neighborhood in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Duanny and his roommate, Mike, were getting ready to call it a night until a car alarm escalated to much more.
The event was captured on the home’s security system, so you can clearly see what went down from multiple angles throughout the house. You can watch the incident unfold in an Active Self Protection video here, so you see what happened for yourself.
According to an Active Self Protection podcast interview, Mike heard a car alarm going off and went into the backyard when he saw a man messing with a vehicle at a housing complex behind them. He told him to turn off his car alarm, and a verbal altercation ensued. At some point, the house alarm also started to go off.
You can see Mike quickly rush inside to shut off the house alarm before walking back outside to continue the argument. Evidently, the dispute between the two men escalated to the point where the soon-to-be perpetrator felt compelled to hop the fence and try to enter the house.
That’s when you can hear Mike call inside to Duanny, telling him, “Get your gun, there’s a dude trying to get in the house.”
After going to wake Duanny up, the roommate heads back to the front of the home and can be heard further escalating the situation by saying, “Come on in. Come over here. We’ll shoot your ass.”
Case Note: Take this as an example of what should NOT be said during a home invasion or altercation. Even though this was said by the roommate, not Duanny, the idea is to try and de-escalate a situation and use your gun as a last resort. On top of opening up possible legal issues, this is just not prudent decision-making by the roommate.
Duanny heads from a back room toward the ongoing altercation, gun in hand, turning on every light as he goes. As he makes his way first through the hallway, then the kitchen, and then into the sun room, he takes a wide turn around each corner to give himself maximum visibility.
Case Note: Duanny does a great job at trying to be as aware as possible. Turning on lights and wrapping wide around corners all help to ensure that you have a clear understanding of the situation and are able to respond appropriately.
Once Duanny sees the man in the house, he is heard yelling, “Hey! Hey! Get out of the house!” as the video clips to the sun room where the roommate tackles the intruder back out the door. He knocks two surfboards over in the process, which block the entryway. The roommate is then seen in the yard on top of the intruder, punching him.
“When I bring the gun up, my roommate jumps him, and the situation changes,” says Duanny in the interview.
He is then seen running to get pepper spray from the living room because he recognizes that the situation may not require the need for a gun. As he’s retrieving the mace, he is heard calling out to his roommate to “call 911.” Returning with both the gun and pepper spray in hand, Duanny finds his roommate still fist fighting with the intruder in the backyard.
He yells, “Mike, get inside,” while clearing the obstructing surfboards. The fighting then breaks up, and Duanny sprays the intruder with pepper spray until he retreats. Both residents then go inside, lock the door, and wait for the police to arrive.
Case Note: This is exactly what you should do in a defensive situation like this. Once the threat has been incapacitated, you should always get to a safe space and barricade yourself there until police arrive. Never continue to engage a threat if you have a chance to safely get away.
In reference to the spray’s effect, Duanny said it “totally incapacitated him 100%. I mean, he took probably 10, 15 steps from that point. He didn’t know what was north or south. He was completely lost.”
While waiting, Duanny puts his firearm away and Mike gets properly dressed. When the police arrive, both men are compliant and patient with the officers.
The Aftermath
Having arrived within minutes, the police were able to apprehend the intruder before he even left the backyard.
Standing watching from inside the house, Duanny and his roommate waited until the police knocked on the door before heading outside. Leading with open hands, they showed they were no longer threats and were ready to cooperate.
Case Note: When police initially arrive at a scene like this, they are still assessing the situation, and it can be easy for them to mistake the good guys for the bad. The residents in this situation did the right thing by calmly approaching the officers with their hands up to show their compliance.
According to Duanny, the intruder was initially charged with burglary with a deadly weapon because of a pocket knife that was later found on his person. However, the charges were eventually dropped for unknown reasons.
As it turns out, the intruder is actually a neighbor of Duanny and his roommate, and today they live alongside each other without issue.
“I guess he got traumatized by the spray,” Duanny told ASP. “If he sees me, he pretends he doesn’t and walks far away. … He’s never really interacted with me after that.”
Reflection
Although somewhat anticlimactic compared to some defensive scenarios, this incident is an excellent example of quick thinking, situational awareness, and neutralizing a threat with the least amount of force necessary.
Knowledge is power, and analyzing incidents like these can only serve to better prepare you to respond appropriately in the event you are faced with a similar situation. After learning the details of the encounter, it’s time to reflect on what happened and how you might have handled the same situation.
Do you think Duanny was justified in his actions? Why or why not? Do you think there was anything that could or should have been done differently? How would you have handled the same situation? Be sure to share your thoughts on this concealed carry case with us on social media @VedderHolsters.
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