Burglar picks wrong apartment...

pwd72s · 07-08-2006, 01:19 PM

Good news in the morning paper.

Crime and punishment with a one-two punch
A big guy comes home to an outsized burglar. Guess who needs help
Saturday, July 08, 2006
MAXINE BERNSTEIN
The emergency dispatcher who took the Northeast Portland burglary call Thursday evening distinctly heard cries of pain in the background: "I can't breathe! I can't breathe!"

It was the burglar pleading for help, pinned under the weight of the 41-year-old tenant.

"I had a death grip on him like you wouldn't believe," Tim Hughes said on Friday, recounting the knock-down, teeth-baring fight he had with the intruder the night before.

Hughes said he drew on his high school wrestling moves, his Army training and even episodes of the TV show "COPS" when he encountered a strange man in his home about 5 p.m. Thursday.

Hughes moved from Sandy to an apartment off Northeast Beech Street in the Parkrose neighborhood less than a month ago. He wanted to be closer to his job, as physical plant director of the Western Chiropractic College's 22 acres and 13 buildings. When he returned home Thursday, he unlocked the front door, set his mail on a table in the living room and heard someone in a back bedroom, jingling pocket change.

Hughes, who lives with his mother, stepped outside again to see whether his mother's car was there. It wasn't.

He returned to his apartment and walked down the hallway toward her bedroom, wondering who was inside.

As he turned the corner, he discovered a man going through his mother's vanity.

"I saw some strange man in my mom's room" he said, "and I just went into attack."

Hughes' size was on his side.

5 foot 11, 320 pounds, he was bigger than his opponent, a 48-year-old unshaven transient who stands 5 foot 10 and weighs 210.

Hughes reached for the man's long, scraggily brown hair as he yelled over and over, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I knew if I could get ahold of him, he was mine," said Hughes, who hadn't been in a fight since his early 20s, when someone who snatched his change from a bar.

Hughes grabbed the man's hair with his left hand and slammed him into a door jamb.

Hughes wanted to prevent him from leaving the apartment, but he also needed to reach his cell phone in the living room to call 9-1-1.

The intruder fought hard to get away.

But Hughes wouldn't let go. Hughes thought about dragging the stranger into the kitchen, but decided not to because he didn't want the man to grab a knife.

With a firm grasp on the man's hair, Hughes dragged him through the narrow hallway and into the living room.

"I spun him up, and I kicked him in the (groin)," Hughes said. "I swear to God, I never had such clarity."

Hughes, still grasping the man's hair, reached for his phone on the edge of his couch and tried to dial 9-1-1.

The suspect kicked the phone out of Hughes' hand. The stranger pleaded with Hughes to let him go and not call the cops.

"You don't understand," the intruder yelled.

"I do," Hughes cut him off. "Your (expletive) is going to jail!"

Hughes picked up his phone. He dialed 9-1-1 again, and struggled to press the button needed to reach a dispatcher. The call went through at 5:31 p.m. but Hughes couldn't talk just then. The stranger bit him on the left leg.

"Let me go, and I'll stop," the stranger yelled.

Hughes knocked him around some more. "We both went up airborne," he recalled.

Finally, Hughes pinned the stranger face down on the floor by his patio door. Hughes lay across him. His cell phone landed somewhere else.

"I've got a burglar in my house!" he screamed, hoping the dispatcher would hear his call.

"Where are you?" the dispatcher repeatedly asked, hearing the sounds of a fight. Hughes yelled that he couldn't get to the phone and explained: "I got him. I ain't letting him go."

He yelled out his address.

Hughes picked up his phone. He dialed 9-1-1 again, and struggled to press the button needed to reach a dispatcher. The call went through at 5:31 p.m. but Hughes couldn't talk just then. The stranger bit him on the left leg.

"Let me go, and I'll stop," the stranger yelled.

Hughes knocked him around some more. "We both went up airborne," he recalled.

Finally, Hughes pinned the stranger face down on the floor by his patio door. Hughes lay across him. His cell phone landed somewhere else.

"I've got a burglar in my house!" he screamed, hoping the dispatcher would hear his call.

"Where are you?" the dispatcher repeatedly asked, hearing the sounds of a fight. Hughes yelled that he couldn't get to the phone and explained: "I got him. I ain't letting him go."

He yelled out his address.

The dispatcher sent two East Precinct officers to the apartment. The call went out: "Struggling to hold burglar."

Officer Rich Holthausen arrived within four minutes, and found Hughes on top of the suspect. Hughes stayed there as Holthausen snapped handcuffs around the struggling man's wrists.

The suspect kept mumbling, "This was just a big mistake," that he was looking for his girlfriend, and that all he took was coins.

Police found 16 rings in his front right pocket; a pocket watch and coins in his left pocket.

Howard Clyde Macy was booked into jail, accused of burglary, assault, criminal mischief and two counts of interfering with making a police report. Police say he entered through the patio's sliding door.

"I hadn't been in a fight in years," Hughes said Friday. "It's still nice to know I could handle myself quite well.

His mother, who was at a friend's house, is boasting how her "baby boy whooped the hell out of a criminal."

Hughes is just glad his mother wasn't home. "I've only got one of her," he said.

Hughes has had his car broken into, but he'd never come face-to-face with a criminal. Yet this time, he said, "I haven't felt violated because I feel the good guys won. This is the wrong house to come to."

Maxine Bernstein: 503-221-8212; maxinebernstein@news.oregonian.com

masraum · 07-08-2006, 01:59 PM

5'11" and 320, sounds as if he's a bit overweight. Good to here he's in decent shape.

pwd72s · 07-08-2006, 02:26 PM

The article had a pic of him...one of those built like a fire plug guys...forearms the size of most people's legs...

Seahawk · 07-08-2006, 02:38 PM

"I spun him up, and I kicked him in the (groin)," Hughes said. "I swear to God, I never had such clarity."

Spun, kick, groin and clarity...story of my life.

Joeaksa · 07-08-2006, 04:58 PM

Excellent! Hope that the word goes out and no one bothers that area again. The more it happens the better, lets put these criminals in jail.

Just spend the day putting motion detector lights in front of the garage and side of the house. Local criminals broke into my Honda in the drive a while back and need to introduce them to Mr. Halogen light system the next time.

Tervuren · Tervuren's Garage

Man - he better not get robbed in the Netherlands! They'd charge him with self defence and he'd spend a long time behin bars!

Joeaksa · 07-08-2006, 06:18 PM

Tervuren,

Had this happened in England the homeowner would have gone to jail for assualting the guy who broke in.

There is a reason why people moved from Europe/UK in the 1700's and 1800's and this is a large part of it IMHO!

In Texas the homeowner could have shot the guy and the police would have backed him up. You do not mess with another persons property, especially breaking into the house to steal or injure in many states here.

pwd72s · 07-08-2006, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Joeaksa
Tervuren,

Had this happened in England the homeowner would have gone to jail for assualting the guy who broke in.

There is a reason why people moved from Europe/UK in the 1700's and 1800's and this is a large part of it IMHO!

In Texas the homeowner could have shot the guy and the police would have backed him up. You do not mess with another persons property, especially breaking into the house to steal or injure in many states here.

Yup! Since I'm not 320, with Popeye forearms? I probably would have introduced the a-hole to my buddy, Mr. Browning. But then, your average druggie burglar wouldn't have made it past my alarm system...

FrayAdjacent911 · 07-08-2006, 07:17 PM

That would have happened a little different in my apartment.

911: What's your emergency
Me: Some dickhead busted into my apartment, now he has about 6 extra holes in his chest. He's bleeding all over my carpet. Man, they're gonna charge me out the a$$ to clean that $hit!
911: You shot him??
Me: Hell yes, I put 6 rounds of 9mm hot $hit into him. Hold on, he's moving again

BANG BANG BANG

Me: Ok, he's down again
911; holy $*&(!!!
Me: Yeah, can you send the police to come clean this up??

Joeaksa · 07-08-2006, 07:37 PM

Matt,

"He charged me! He had a butcher knife in his hand (go to kitchen and get knife, put it into this hand) and tried to kill me"

Self defense and for sure he will not rob another person again.

competentone · 07-08-2006, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by FrayAdjacent911

Me: Hell yes, I put 6 rounds of 9mm hot $hit into him. Hold on, he's moving again

BANG BANG BANG

Me: Ok, he's down again

Sounds like you might need to load with some of these:

http://www.natchezss.com/ammo.cfm?contentID=productDetail&ammoGroup=2&brand=CB&prodID=CBDPX0911520

DavidI · 07-08-2006, 09:57 PM

Great story!

David

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Just remember to shoot one "warning shot" into the ceiling after emptying the rest of the clip into the POS.

I like the idea of saying "he had one of my kitchen knives" while on the phone with 9-1-1. Be sure to grab one and put it by the body and put the perp's prints on it while you wait for the cops & coroner to show up.

fastpat · 07-09-2006, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Joeaksa
Matt,

"He charged me! He had a butcher knife in his hand (go to kitchen and get knife, put it into this hand) and tried to kill me"

Self defense and for sure he will not rob another person again.

Do not fake anything about a break-in or robbery, you'll then be totally dependant on forensics not noticing anything wrong, and being charged if they do.

In almost any state, in your home, you can use force which may be lethal to avoid grave bodily harm or death, and all you need is a perception that you were at risk for that. The perp need not be armed at all, but usually are.

fastpat · 07-09-2006, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Porsche-O-Phile
Just remember to shoot one "warning shot" into the ceiling after emptying the rest of the clip into the POS.

I'm afraid that the warning shot is a bad idea as well. I'd suggest you all acquire Massad Ayoob's In the Gravest Extreme - The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection. This is the granddaddy of all the personal defense resource books, by one of the first to offer extensive personal defense training at his Lethal Force Institute.

The thing you should do if required to shoot an intruder is call the police, then call your lawyer; and do not make any statements to the police at all, or if you feel you must you state that you feared for your life, and say it up front. It's your home, you have a right to be there, an intruder does not.