Charges Filed After Self-defense Goes too Far
A family faces charges after their self-defense tactics were more severe than the potential danger.
SNELLVILLE, Ga. — Two Gwinnett County men are facing criminal charges because police say they went too far after a stranger tried to get into their home.
The men claimed they were acting in self-defense when they beat up and shot the man they believed was trying to break into their home. Police say they chased an unarmed man for half a mile before attacking him. Investigators say the man used to live in the same home and because of an undisclosed medical condition thought he still did.
Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson spoke with one of the suspects’ sister who was also in the home when the victim came to the door. “It was a stranger in the daytime, I didn’t know,” Kathy Rue said. Rue says she was afraid a home invasion was about to happen when she saw someone at her front door and then again banging on the back door.
“When he saw me when I lifted the blinds, he took off,” she said.
She says just before 9 a.m. on Thursday, she heard noises at her home on Lake Commons Court in Snellville with her brother and son. Her brother, who is an Air Force veteran, and adult son chased after the man.
“We were trying to defend our territory,” Rue explained.
Read the original from WSB-TV
What Can We Learn?
First of all, know your laws. If you think you know what self-defense means that is not good enough. You need to KNOW what self-defense means and when the use of lethal force is legal. Self-defense can mean something different from state to state so educate yourself. If you scare off a potential intruder, do not chase, beat, or shoot the intruder. The imminent threat to you is over if he is leaving. Call the police, take down as much information as possible, take photos if you can, and give all of the information to the police and let them handle the attempted intruder. Know the level of danger and match the level with how you defend and protect yourself.
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