Homeowner shoots out tires of theft suspects after they try to steal his ATV, dirt bikes
By Bob Jones, Courtney Danser – Newsnet5 ABC
WEST SALEM, Ohio – A West Salem man was able to save his ATV and two dirt bikes by chasing two theft suspects and shooting out the tires on their pickup truck.
According to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, two men stole the vehicles, along with a trailer, from a barn in the 10000 block of Flemming Road in West Salem at about 10:30 p.m. on Sunday.
As they were pulling away with the trailer attached to a Ford F-150, the homeowner, 46-year-old Bert Leasure took action.
He grabbed his 12 gauge shotgun, started chasing the truck and called 911.
“I said, ‘I’m in pursuit of these guys that broke into my barn,” Leasure said.
The suspects pulled into a yard on Ruff Road and tried to ditch the trailer, but Leasure said he caught up and fired three to five shots into a back tire and a front tire.
“I ended up catching them after miles. I was behind them and they were trying to lose me on every country road they could and then I got out there and they pulled in this lady’s front yard and I ended up shooting two tires out with my shotgun,” said Leasure. “I said, ‘This is where it’s going to stop’, so I went pow, pow.”
Well, normally we would not suggest this kind of behavior. Everything worked out for Mr. Leasure, but he put himself in a position where many things could have gone wrong.
For starters, once a “threat” is no longer on your property and is fleeing – your legal rights to shoot at them have diminished significantly (if not entirely).
Had he shot and killed one of these thieves, Mr. Leasure would be facing murder chargers and would probably spend the rest of his life in prison. I can’t imagine his ATVs are worth that price.
Furthermore, by chasing these suspects they no doubt created a hazardous environment for anyone else on the road. Mr. Leasure is not the police, he does not have the authority to initiate high speed chases and putting the public in danger.
Again, had anyone been seriously injured or killed due to the pursuit, Mr. Leasure would have been looking at spending some serious time in prison.
Mr. Leasure also put his own life in danger by following these suspects. He had no idea if they were armed or what they were capable of. These thugs could have very well become engaged in a gunfight with Mr. Leasure; and who knows how that would have ended.
We definitely believe you should always defend your property and livelihood when it is in danger, but do not put yourself in harms way unnecessarily or in a position that could land you in prison.
When the threat is gone, notify the authorities and let the police do police work.
As far as Mr. Leasure, well we have to say “good shooting” as those are some incredible shots to make while behind the wheel.
