The Gun Counter

Two homeowners with guns confront intruders in Pierce County
by KING 5 News
Posted on April 5, 2012 at 10:27 AM
Updated today at 3:05 PM

BONNEY LAKE, Wash. – Two Pierce County homeowners pulled guns on people trying to break into their homes Thursday.

Bonney Lake Police said a man was napping at his home in the 8000 block of 205th Avenue East when he heard someone ringing the doorbell. He ignored it, but then heard the person kicking the door.

The owner grabbed a shotgun and confronted the intruder. The suspect then took off in a pickup truck, but not before the homeowner fired a shot. Police said a round hit the back window, but there was no indication the suspect was hit.

The suspect is described as white, about 5-feet 8-inches tall in his 30's with a buzz haircut and a "boxey" build. He was wearing a black leather jacket and gray gloves. The pickup was a blue, older model Ford with a black ladder rack and side step rails. There was a generator and a pink bicycle in the bed of the truck.

In another home invasion in Gig Harbor, two young men rang the doorbell of a home in the 3200 block of 19th Avenue NW. The woman living there, an Army veteran, was home sick and did not answer the door.

When she heard someone trying to open the sliding glass door, she spotted the two suspects. The woman grabbed a gun and tapped it on the window to get their attention while she called 911. The suspects took off.

The intruders are reportedly described as white, in their late teens to early 20s and were wearing dark, baggy clothing.

Thursday's incidents are the latest in a recent string of cases in which homeowners have used guns to defend their property.

Also on Thursday in Federal Way, a man came home to find a burglar. The homeowner armed himself and chased the burglar into a nearby lake. The burglar had to be rescued and was eventually arrested.

A retired Puyallup police officer shot and killed a man who was attempting to break into his home Wednesday afternoon.

Last Friday, a North Bend homeowner shot and killed a man who broke into the bedroom where the homeowner and his girlfriend were hiding.

308Mike wrote: Also on Thursday in Federal Way, a man came home to find a burglar. The homeowner armed himself and chased the burglar into a nearby lake. The burglar had to be rescued and was eventually arrested.