U.S.A. -(Ammoland.com)- On 28 April, at about 9:30 p.m. in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin, an armed employee captured a burglary suspect. It was the result of digital surveillance, an active business owner, and a diligent, armed employee.
The owner’s fiancee was notified of the intrusion by a NEST video system. The owner and two employees were only a few blocks away from the business.
The employee who was legally armed, waited outside the business while the owner searched the inside. The search flushed the suspect into the area covered by the employee, who then placed the suspect under citizen’s arrest.
The Ashwaubenon police were very happy with the result. From fox11online.com:
Ashwaubenon Public Safety applauded the employees actions.
“We’re very satisfied with what happened,” said Ashwaubenon Public Safety Capt. Jody Crocker. “The situation here was that the burglar could’ve gotten away. The concealed carry holder did exactly what he should do. This was a felony in progress. He also complied with officers as soon as they arrived and did everything right,”
“Conceal carry holders are trained on how and when to use their weapons, and this outcome could not have gone better,” said Crocker.
Police are identified the suspect as 31-year-old Eric Elm of Minnesota. They say he is wanted for an extradition warrant out of Minnesota for burglary.
This isn’t the first time police have praised legal gun owners for exercising their rights and capturing criminals.
In 2018, Ciciro, Illinois police praised an armed citizen who fired at a suspect in a police shooting. From chicagotribune.com:
Cicero’s top cop is praising the actions of a concealed gun holder who opened fire on a suspect who had shot one of the town’s officers after a traffic stop on the Stevenson Expressway during evening rush hour Thursday.
In 2017, Marysville police praised Joe Hemrich who captured a criminal. From q13fox.com:
MARYSVILLE, Wash. – Marysville police said a homeowner did everything right when he came face-to-face with a criminal on the lam Monday morning, putting his conceal-and-carry permit to the test.
In 2016, the Tulsa Police department praised people who exercised their Second Amendment rights. From newson6.com:
The homeowner’s four children, ages four through 12 and his girlfriend were in the home at the time.
Police say they believe it was a matter of self-defense and that Wallace made a bad decision.
“If you’re going to try to get into someone’s house that’s not your own, you’re rolling the dice, especially here in Oklahoma. A lot of people exercise their Second Amendment, which is fantastic,” said Sgt. Shane Tuell.
In 2015, Odenville, Alabama Police Chief Adam Pardue called Tim Foster a hero when he shot out the tires of a vehicle a suspect was fleeing in. From the annistonstar.com:
“Mr. Foster is a hero in that subdivision,” Pardue said. “We need more people like Mr. Foster. It’s time we take back our communities from these thugs.”
More examples are readily available on the Internet. As police have learned not to fear armed citizens, more and more police are praising them for fighting crime and making their neighborhoods safer.
Police on the street have always favored armed citizens by large majorities, as measured in polls. Now more and more police chiefs are acknowledging the advantages of an armed citizenry.
Most crime is committed by repeat offenders who are career criminals. Get them off the street, and crime rates plummet. It is not surprising most criminals captured by armed citizens have criminal histories.
Police and armed citizens are natural allies.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
NOT REAL SMART! Citizen carry is for self protection not to turn ourselves into cops. This guy does not have city law suit and criminal legal protection so if gun fire erupted–well welcome to a life altering law suit or maybe worse (if fired) an errant bullet found someone. Citizens had better be real careful in playing cops and of course if a jacked up cop arrives and the citizen is there with the gun in hand and he does not do everything really right with the cop pointing his gun at him, things could go south. Concealed carry folks… Read more »
I would not enter a building unarmed if there was an intruder. call 911.
The real question is what you should do if the suspect you “arrested” gets up and runs away.
Here in Florida you cannot shoot a fleeing criminal.
So it’s really just a bluff.
The police are commenting and the press is reporting but we need them to keep the context correct. If it is a homeowner or business owner with a gun, it does not matter if he has a concealed carry permit. This need in the media to qualify a firearm as permitted or registered needs to end. Defense of self and property does not require any permitting when it is your own home or property. In many cases, a concealed carrier is now a concealed carrier who has been publicly outed.
The majority of law enforcement officers are very supportive of citizens using their second amendment rights, it is the Chiefs of some departments who bow down to the politicians to keep their job that claim armed citizens are somehow a danger to society.
I’m retired as a sergeant from a California agency and onceI had an occasion for an armed citizen to back me up, damn glad he was there.