A burglar who broke into a Texas home through the garage tried to enter a bedroom where a mother was hiding with her children. She fired through the door, hitting and wounding the suspect, who fled but was caught by cops.
A frightening home invasion in Texas
In Edinburg, Texas, around 9:15 p.m., a burglar entered a house through the garage door.
Although it wasn’t clear how the thief got through the garage, automatic garage door openers are easily accessed by thieves in a matter of seconds with nothing more than a wire coat hanger. They use this improvised tool to hook the emergency latch/safety release mechanism, which allows them to roll the door up by hand. Far too many people rely on their garage door alone for security and fail to lock the adjoining door between the garage and house, allowing thieves who defeat the garage door easy access to the home.
After the thief entered the home, the woman holed up in her bedroom, where she hid with her children and called the police, the New York Post reported.
Mother shoots through door, striking suspect
As the thief attempted to gain entry to the bedroom, the woman warned the intruder that she was armed and had called the police. She told the burglar to leave.
Not heeding the warning, the home invader continued attempting to gain access to the locked bedroom, according to a post by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.
Fearing for the safety of her children and herself, the woman said she fired a single shot from her gun, with the bullet penetrating through the door.
Cops capture suspect hiding in a field
The cops say the suspect was struck in the left arm by the bullet, which caused him to flee.
Police arrived at the home shortly thereafter and managed to locate the suspect in an open field approximately 100 yards from the house, the Daily Mail reported.
Cops identified the suspect as 36-year-old Carlos Garcia, who was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
After being cleared by doctors, Garcia was arrested on charges of burglary of a habitation with intent. He was booked and held in the county jail at the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on a $750,000 bond, KWTX reported.
Texans have the right to defend themselves with deadly force
In the state of Texas, homeowners have the right to use deadly force under a Texas law known as the “Castle doctrine,” which is similar to “stand your ground laws” in other states” that specify a person is not required to retreat from an intruder.
“You have the right to defend yourself in your own home against an intruder,” Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra told KRGV. “I imagine she was in fear of her life … so she did what she had to do, and we support her.”
“You don’t have to give notice,” the sheriff added. “If someone’s breaking into your home you have the right to protect yourself and use deadly force, and you’re not going to have any problem with the sheriff of Hidalgo County.”
