Posted on 01/21/2008 1:29:10 PM PST by Daffynition
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ― It's unusual for a business owner to catch a burglar in the act and take that criminal down. It's even more remarkable when that business owner is 87 years old.
Before Friday, Al Brewster was known as the owner of one of the city's oldest real estate companies and the largest billboard in Dallas. Now, he's also a proven crimefighter.
"I just jumped him over there," Brewster recalled. "I took him down on the couch."
He may be 87 years old, but Brewster wasn't about to let a burglar steal from his real estate office without a fight. "He was the mouse and I was the tiger," he said.
The business owner said that he grabbed a gun and raced to his office on Harry Hines Boulevard, with his wife at his side, after a security alarm went off after midnight. He explained, "Stupid as I was, I assumed there was nobody in the building."
As it turned out, Richard Earl Woodard was inside, ransacking a closet where Brewster kept two hunting rifles. He had planned to go inside with a shotgun he had brought from home, but he left it in the car. Even so, the 46-year-old burglar was no match for Brewster or his 85-year-old wife, Carol.
Brewster said, "The truth is, I didn't use good sense, but he was making off with all my guns, and that ticked me off."
With a cane in hand, Brewster chased Woodard to a window that was broken when the burglar entered.
"We were in a duel," Brewster said. "I don't know who was hitting who."
By the time it was over, the burglar was bruised, but okay.
Police arrived in time to arrest the thief and recover all of the stolen property.
Brewster and his wife of 68 years said that they are old enough to know the risk involved in confronting a burglar, and would not do it again. "I would call the police before we entered the building," Brewster said.
I just got this in an e-mail— sounds like a true story:
Some “dirt bag” in Polk County Florida who got pulled over in a routine traffic stop ended up “executing” the deputy who stopped him. The deputy was shot eight times, including once behind his right ear at close range. Another deputy was wounded and a police dog killed.
A statewide manhunt ensued. The low-life was found hiding in a wooded area with his gun. SWAT team officers fired and hit the guy 68 times.
Now here’s the kicker: The media asked why he was shot 68 times. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, told the Orlando Sentinel:
“That’s all the bullets we had!”
Hope I’m half the man he is when I get there....actually, make that ‘hope I get there’. Taking a crook down would just be icing on the cake!
“I would call the police before we entered the building,” Brewster said....muttering “with my shotgun next time”.
story stands as one of the best....we don’t read these in the gun defense archives much.
Believe that was on Rte 27 last summer...a real tragedy. Had thousands backed up on 27 north of Lake Placid for hours. Trooper was a stalwart in the community. We had dinner there that night. Not a good day for the community, glad to see the police were restrained. I swear I saw a thousand police cars that nite....they definitely had more than 68 bullets available, not to mention armored cars, tanks, etc...It was good to see the ordnance available to Florida LE for future reference. Crime doesn’t pay, and it’s good to see justice metted out in real time. As we were headed to Miami we never saw much coverage of the incident. Think I saw it in central Florida papers once tho.
I love these John Wayne oldsters! Bless them ...bet his wife is proud but she probably scolded him anyway. ;)
*snort*
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