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Senior Citizen Holds Burglar At Gunpoint

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Apr 1, 2008 4:57 pm US/Eastern

Senior Citizen Holds Burglar At Gunpoint

Reporting
Suzanne Collins
PASADENA, Md. (WJZ) ― A senior citizen in Pasadena caught a burglar in his home and held him at gunpoint until police arrived.  Tom Walker told Suzanne Collins he just didn't want the young man to get away with it.

Erick Bjorntwedt, 22, headed to the courthouse on four counts of burglary and destruction of property.  Police say he went on a crime spree in Pasadena until he was stopped by a 74-year-old homeowner dressed in long johns.

"He came in, I put the pistol up toward his head.  I said, `Get down on the floor.'  I said, `No, get down with your face on the floor,'" Tom Walker said.

Walker said he left out the expletives he used when confronting the burglar in his home at 4 a.m. 

It started with a planter base used to smash a side window.  Security bars prevented entry.  Then the rear sliding door was smashed.  Walker ran into the burglar in the garage, going through his wife's car.

"I'm no hero.  I'm just trying to protect my house and my wife.  At our age, we don't want to be bothered with people stealing stuff like that," he said.

The suspect ran into the house where Pat Walker faced him in the kitchen.  She also stood up against the suspect.  He tried to get out of her kitchen door, so she put her foot up to prevent him from getting out until her husband came back with the gun.

Police say it worked out this time, but confronting a burglar isn't the best idea because they could be armed.

"If you're able to flee the residence, we would rather you flee instead of taking on the suspect as this individual did," said Sgt. John Gilmer.

Walker says he's happy the suspect didn't realize the gun was really his grandchildren's air pistol.

At least three other neighbors were also victims and a fourth man had tools and a checkbook stolen from his car.

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