A doorbell video showed two men forcing their way into an Arlington Heights, Illinois, home at gunpoint Saturday, WGN-TV reported.
But like many other stupid criminals, they didn’t count on the homeowner being up for several rounds of fisticuffs — or practicing the Second Amendment.
What happened?
Prosecutors said Bradley J. Finnan, 39, and Larry D. Brodacz, 58 — both armed with guns and after boxes containing $200,000 in cash that Brodacz claimed he saw in the home 20 years ago — were captured on a Ring doorbell security camera as they approached the home just before 2 p.m., the Daily Herald reported.
Brodacz noticed the Ring camera and told Finnan to not look at it, prosecutors told the paper, adding that Brodacz rang the doorbell and forced his way inside after a male homeowner — expecting landscapers — answered. Finnan carried a bag containing zip ties and a blowtorch and followed inside, the Daily Herald said.
Yelling and commotion followed, the paper said, and then the homeowner was seen on video chasing Finnan from the house and punching him repeatedly.
As he fled, Finnan’s identity was revealed when his mask slipped, prosecutors told the Daily Herald.
Things get more terrifying
Meanwhile, as the homeowner’s wife saw the intruders inside her house, she screamed and ran to an upstairs bedroom with the couple’s children and closed the door, the paper said. And while her husband fought Finnan outside, Brodacz broke the bedroom door, pushed the children onto the bed, and pointed his gun at the woman who pleaded with him not to shoot, prosecutors told the Daily Herald.
Once the homeowner was done beating on Finnan, he returned inside and was retrieving a handgun from the home’s master bedroom when he was struck in the back of the head, the paper said.
During a struggle, the homeowner fired a shot at Brodacz but missed, and then the pair bit each other, prosecutors told the Daily Herald. Then Brodacz took a knife from his waistband and approached the homeowner — and fearing for his life and the lives of his family members, he fatally shot Brodacz in the stomach, prosecutors added to the paper.
The family did not know either man, police told the paper.
Finnan charged with murder
The Daily Herald said Finnan is charged with murder under a statute that allows a defendant to be so charged if the accused takes part in felony offenses that lead to another’s death — even if the defendant wasn’t directly involved in the killing.
He’s also charged with home invasion and is being held without bail, the paper said. Finnan could face a life sentence if convicted, the paper said, adding that April 21 is his next scheduled court appearance.
*story by The Blaze