Homeowner clubs basement-urinating, beer-swilling burglar with pottery
Photo courtesy of apexselfdefense.com
SEATTLE -- A Ballard homeowner went to great lengths to hold a burglar who had broken into her home. Armed with a piece of pottery, the woman clubbed the burglar over the head and then armed herself with a brass elephant until police arrived.
Police responded to a call about 4 a.m. Thursday to a home near 14th Avenue NW and NW 50th Street. The 59-year-old homeowner told police the suspect had entered her home through a back door or window and was fighting with a family friend when she intervened.
The woman's friend had confronted the suspect in the basement of the home and found the man urinating in a corner. He also discovered the suspect had stashed an 18-pack of PBR in the washing machine. When he dragged the suspect upstairs, the homeowner and her son pounced on him.
The suspect began struggling with the family, they told police, and the homeowner grabbed a piece of pottery and hit the suspect over the head with it. She then armed herself with a brass elephant and called police.
When police arrived, they found the family standing over the suspect who was bloodied from the altercation. They also found the suspect's beer in the washing machine, but only five unopened cans remained.
The 21-year-old suspect was transported to the North Precinct where he told officers he thought he had walked into his own home, not the woman's house. He also told officers he injured his ankle during the incident; he was taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment.
The woman, who uses a walker, and her family members did not report suffering any injuries to police.