PHOENIX, AZ – The Phoenix PD responded to a 9-1-1 call in the evening of September 8, according to Fox 10 Phoenix, reporting a home intruder. Arriving at the scene around 10 p.m., they found the intruder, one Juan Saavedra.
Saavedra's criminal record was redacted from documents made available to the press but included multiple priors and convictions. Saavedra is also a known transient.
The home is occupied by a family, including both parents and five children. The mother stated that she had exited the home and told Saavedra – a stranger to them – to leave her front yard or else and that they would defend their home with gunfire, if necessary, in an effort to scare him off.
It didn't work. Saavedra pursued her, and she ran back into the house, locking the carport door and calling authorities while retrieving a gun and calling 9-1-1. She advised her children to hide, but her 13-year-old son remained by her.
Saavedra shattered the glass of the carport door and was reaching through to unlock the doorknob. The boy recognized that his mother wasn't doing anything, took her gun and opened fire.
When police arrived, Saavedra was wounded in the arm and abdomen. He was transported to an area hospital, treated, and released into police custody. He revealed later to police that he had been smoking methamphetamine for the past few days and was searching for another transient friend who might have been in one of the neighborhood's yards.
He also disclosed that during the incident, he was under the influence of methamphetamine, and believed the boy was his son and the house was also his, even though he knew the compulsion was false.
Saavedra faces second-degree burglary charges.
A Good Outcome That Was Likely Preventable
The boy, in this case, is unbelievably brave. Not only did he have the wherewithal to take action, he hit the target and caused him to give up. This kid has some stones and should be commended for it.
However, there are a few key points worth bringing up.
Don't Leave the Safety of Your Home
First is that the perpetrator gave chase after the mom went out and threatened him for what is otherwise just simple trespassing. Obviously, trespassing is a crime, but stepping on somebody's dirt is hardly a justification for threatening to shoot them, let alone actually doing it.
Put differently, she escalated the situation when she could have just as easily called the police and let them handle it. After all, that's their job.
Should she have to worry about homeless drug users in her yard? Obviously not, but it's worth considering that there are situations where it's better to call the police instead of taking risks yourself since it's their job anyway.
It's also worth mentioning Saavedra believed things he knew not to be true but acted on those impulses anyway. Methamphetamine psychosis is a side effect of prolonged use, meaning meth addicts can be unpredictable, to say the least.
Obviously, the outcome wasn't tragic. Nobody died, and the right person went to jail… but it also could have been avoided.
Find the original article in its entirety on USACarry.
Full Auto Mode
Magnum time, like 44, 50 cal
This stupid article seems to blame the mother for “escalating” the situation. Consider American Liberty to be unsubscribed.
Are you on meth too? Don’t be absurd. The boy quickly concluded this was no time for deliberating whether the police would be on time, or he might not work the latch in his condition, or whether his duty as a man to protect was secondary to her authority. Quick thinking, good shooting.
as for the excuse he gave, I’ll bet he has them all prepared. The common law though is in such a case that getting high is no defence, at best, if believed, it might mitigate penalty,
Why is common sense so uncommon? Going out to threaten someone is a good way to get beaten or killed unless armed and ready.
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
I’m just about there myself.
Calling the police and expecting a response in this day and political climate is often wishful thinking. More and more often people HAVE to take care of these situations themselves.
The mother had every right to tell the trespasser to leave. People are tired of having to cower from criminals. Glad her son had the courage to shoot the trespasser. Let’s see how long he gets licked up for by the courts.
The intruder shattered the window, the son responded properly in fear for their lives,case closed.
I highly recommend you shove your spam
Victim blaming is horrible! The guy should not have been on her property! Period! Maybe he should not have been in the country! Why was his arrest record not available?
Because he’s another potential Progressive Socialist voter?
If the child had not responded when he did, the entire family would probably be dead. Stop supporting criminals.
Brave? Yes, but his aim was off.
The ultra-liberal bias of the news agency is patently evident by their extraneous comments. The mother was obviously try to de-esculate the situation and to warn the intruder of the dire consequences of his actions if he continued. Her actions, while certainly dangerous, were not because the intruder “stepped on her dirt”, but rather to deter the intruder from doing anything more than he had already done. Imagine the liberal outcry had she just waited until the intruder was in the house and then just shot him! They would scream the shooting was unjustified and demand her arrest. All the while rioting for more gun control! Perhaps it is time to recognize that criminals are outlaws and do not deserve the protection of the law that they have forsaken but rather deserve whatever they reap!
Your opinion is unbelievably stupid, of course we should worry about drug addicts trespassing onto our yards. Call the cops, how many minutes does it take them to show up, and how many minutes did it take him to break the glass and open the door. You need to resign, you have no busy giving advise.
Dang. A perfectly good story marred by a loony, left-wing, bleeding heart author.
…malarkey. “Stay inside”…”don’t provoke”. Ridiculous advice. The Police would show up right after they were dead, and the man was going to break in anyway …”looking for his friend”. If someone is on your property and refuses to leave, they mean to harm you. Good for the kid. Too bad Mom didn’t have the courage to protect her kids and property.
Very stupid analysis. Blame the criminal drug addict totally, no one else.
“…she escalated the situation when she could have just as easily called the police and let them handle it. After all, that’s their job.”
Uhh…sure…as the saying goes, call the police (no slur intended) then Domino’s and see who gets there first.
Has being “under the influence” become a “get out of jail free” card? If so, when? That’s an excuse, not a reason.