In a dramatic turn of events on Arlex Drive, a suspected home invasion resulted in the homeowner shooting the intruder, who then fled the scene in the victim’s car, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
The incident unfolded in Jacksonville, Florida, where authorities are now investigating the claim of a home invasion that escalated to gunfire. Officers were dispatched to the residence located near Merrill Road shortly after 12:40 p.m. following reports of a shooting.
The homeowner, a man in his 70s, provided an account to the police, stating that an armed individual broke into his house through a rear window. The intruder allegedly forced the elderly man into a bedroom, demanding his car keys and other possessions.
In a moment of quick thinking, the homeowner managed to retrieve his own firearm and shot the suspect in the shoulder. Despite the injury, the intruder managed to escape and made off in the victim’s vehicle.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office reports that officers successfully located the suspect inside the stolen car about 30 minutes later, just a short distance from the scene. The suspect was apprehended on Fort Caroline Road, near the campus of Jacksonville University.
JSO says police were able to find the suspect inside the vehicle approximately 30 minutes later, just a couple miles away; he was taken into custody on Fort Caroline Road, near Jacksonville University.
The scene was spotted by one witness, Brandon Meredith, who was driving along University Boulevard.
“Everyone had their tasers drawn,” Meredith told First Coast News. “They’re moving up in a special kind of formation on the back of the car, heard a pop, they grabbed him and pulled him out, put him on the ground, and EMS was tending to him, and they had the intersection shut down for about two hours while this whole thing unfolded.”
The suspect, who has not yet been publicly identified, was taken to a hospital by first responders for the gunshot wound, JSO says, and is now in police custody.
Witnesses like Meredith say they’re glad no one was killed in the incident, and that the suspect was quickly captured.
“Just glad to have another one, another one of these guys off the streets,” Meredith said.
Anyone with information on the incident that could help in the investigation is encouraged to contact JSO at 904-630-0500. Anonymous tips are also welcome through Crime Stoppers.
