Frightening experience for a friend of mine

[ChgrSteve67]

Friday night around 10:30 a friend of mine was woken up to what he thought was the sound of gun fire in the front of his house. He got up and went to his front door to realize there was someone on the other side trying to kick his front door in. He was in the process of calling 911 for what he thought was gun shots when the person on the other side herd him and took off. He tells me the cops got there within a few minutes but never found the person that tried to break into his house.

Needless to say he and his wife are pretty upset and spent the weekend replacing the front door and had an alarm installed. His neighbor also loaned him a little something to welcome the person in case he comes back.

Makes you wonder what that person was really after... You got have some nerve to just kick in someone's door and not know if they are home or not. I would have to guess the person did know or didn't care since his car was in the driveway.
He was lucky that the door held. Can only imagine what would have happened if it had not.

My parents live about a mile away and I grew up in the area and can tell you things like this just don't happen in this part of town, at least not till now.

[Richard Cranium]

I have a 2nd lake home on a lake & the place has been broken into twice while we weren't there. Nothing of any real value was taken, but the feeling of being violated is still there. I cannot imagine coming to the realization that someone was trying to break in to my house while I was there. I'd sure as hell have a hard time sleeping for many nights to come.

[Old Moparz]

I'd also be a bit freaked out if that was something I woke up to. Fortunately I have never had a break in except for minor items in a car at a previous residence. Where I am now is off the beaten path & not visible from the road, so I have an alarm system the previous owner had installed. The doors & windows are never left unlocked in either the house or the garage.

There are simple things you can do to reinforce an entry door & they should be done. Most doors, even if they are steel, are set in a wood frame. The screws for the hinges are usually not more than 3/4" long, & a lot of times made of brass. Brass is soft, & you should consider removing them to replace them with longer, steel screws. They need to be long enough to pass through the 3/4" door jamb & into the framing behind it.

Same goes for the striker plates for the door knob & dead bolt. The screws should be swapped with longer ones so if the door is kicked, it'll have the frame in the wall opening to help hold it. Using 3" screws will go through the 3/4" jamb as well as the two, 2x4's behind it. If you set screws all around the door frame, the entire frame, both sides & the top, it will be anchored much better to the wall of the house.

One more thing to consider is swapping a longer striker plate that spreads out above & below the locks. You can buy these, chisel a recessed area in the jamb, then set it in place so it works like the original one, only longer. I did this to the doors on my house. You can have the most expensive lock made, but it'll only be as strong as the 3/4" thick door jamb.  

Here's a similar type: http://kickproof.com/

[jb666]

Home invasions seem to be happening more and more... I've always said I welcomed one, because I'd get a chance to unload about 200 rounds into someone, BUT, what if you are sleeping and don't hear them? What if they get in through an un-alarmed window?

There are too many what ifs these days.. And the bottom line is it leaves you and your loved ones vulnerable to these thieves.. Drug addicts... Drunks.. All looking for a rush...

Someone broke into my summer home about 5 years ago. It took a while to get over the fact that someone had violated my space, and a LOT longer to sleep soundly there knowing someone might be back..

[greenpigs]

You may or may not agree but if it is known you do not have a firearm your a target. 

Will it ever matter to me?  I hope I never have to find out but I have my "little something" just in case.

No Rambo mentality here just too many deadbeats in the world that don't care about following the rules.

Good thing nothing happened & your buddy is safe.

[bull]

I have a 2nd lake home on a lake...

[General_01]

That is scary. Hopefully it was nothing more than a drunk who thought he was at his home and locked out and got the crap scared out of him when the light came on when he realized he was at someone else's house.

[Old Moparz]

I have a 2nd lake home on a lake...

I guess you never heard that some people move their lake homes.

[John_Kunkel]

His neighbor also loaned him a little something to welcome the person in case he comes back.

Shouldn't have to depend on a neighbor after the fact, should be standard equipment in every home.

[stripedelete]

"Home invasion" as the term is used in the media connotes "random invasion" with people at home.  Otherwise it would be called a burglary. Right?  I contend that "home invasions" aren't as random as the media leads you to believe.  I've managed to catch the inside skinny on a few "home invasions" that were sensationalised on T.V. and or newspapers.  The media doesn't tell you that the guy, or his kid, was a drug dealer,  bookie, owned a cash business and stuffed it in their home safe or mattress, etc.  They just tell you how Joe-average was sitting at home watching the tube and bam.........

I'm not saying they (random invasions) don't happen, just saying most aren't as random as the media portrays.  Would you kick a door in if you knew the people were home and you didn't know what was waiting for you on the other side?  Probably not.  Intruders are not suicidal.

ChargerSteve, as for your parents, you should have some concern, 'cause they fall into the category of an intruder knowing an elderly or older person is inside.  I have the same worries about my mom, (91 and lives on her own).  As for you're friend, under my theory, the intruders were buglers looking for another house (had the wrong street, were dyslexic ,etc), because they split when they heard occupants.  ( I admit the gunfire doesn't fit my view  - but was that verified?)

We have some police officers hanging out here.  I'd be interested in their opinion.  

[b5blue]

  I got a chuckle here recently, the ex miss "Ybor City" pumped 5 rounds into a dirtbag who broke into her home and was pounding on her husband. With a pink 38 special!!!!   

[Alaskan_TA]

Be prepared, sleep with a gun & a phone. Know your local laws concerning self defence & home protection.

[mikesbbody]

I have a 2nd lake home on a lake & the place has been broken into twice while we weren't there. Nothing of any real value was taken, but the feeling of being violated is still there. I cannot imagine coming to the realization that someone was trying to break in to my house while I was there. I'd sure as hell have a hard time sleeping for many nights to come.

I know how you feel I rented a Room to a really shifty Character years ago, he had his room which he rented off me (along with his Girlfriend) stuff went missing, i confronted him about this which he denied and after that he moved out. I was then Robbed I contacted my friend who was a Cop he found the Guy, beat the living crap out of him  I got most of my stuff back and that Dirt bag went to jail, His Girlfriend dumped him so  but you always have that feeling
you mentioned being violated  not nice 

[Todd Wilson]

Thats bad to hear.  Things are changing all over anymore in this shitty world.   We always lock our storm doors as well as the main doors anymore. I dont leave windows open anymore at night unless its a small up high window or the one in our bedroom. Dogs and guns can be your best friends in the dark.

Its too bad your friend didnt have a gun and let the person go ahead and kick the door and come on in. Make sure he is in the house! Then its game over!

Todd

[Richard Cranium]

I have a 2nd lake home on a lake...

The lake straddles 2 states, so technically I'm correct. 

[Old Moparz]

I have a 2nd lake home on a lake...

The lake straddles 2 states, so technically I'm correct. 

You should be concerned about pirates then, too.   

[Richard Cranium]

I have a 2nd lake home on a lake...

The lake straddles 2 states, so technically I'm correct. 

You should be concerned about pirates then, too.   

I'm not to worried about regular pirates, but there's a pair of butt pirates a few doors down that have me concerned.

[Old Moparz]

I have a 2nd lake home on a lake...

The lake straddles 2 states, so technically I'm correct. 

You should be concerned about pirates then, too.   

I'm not to worried about regular pirates, but there's a pair of butt pirates a few doors down that have me concerned.

Do they have a boat?

Could be worse if they were vikings.

[ChgrSteve67]

Its too bad your friend didn't have a gun and let the person go ahead and kick the door and come on in. Make sure he is in the house! Then its game over!

Todd

I'm glad my friend is ok and that no one is dead. I wish the sucker and friends if he had any with him were in jail but when you think about it......

Say you let the person break all the way into the house and then take them down...
The visual image and reminder of having that happen in your house may be too much for some to deal with.

A company I use to work for had a shooting during the day and it is amazing the extent we (I was the facilities manager at the time) had to go through to remove all of the mental and visual reminders so people would come back to work.
Floor was changed, copy machine moved, furniture changed, walls painted, we even relocated a wall so the room did not look the same shape to make it harder to know where exactly the person that got shot was laying.

As someone mentioned above even criminals have family that love then and may come back for revenge if you did cause them a fatal blow.

I have a really nice pump action shot gun and if I chamber a round and they keep coming then I would say my life was in danger and defend myself. The best thing you can do is to scare them off and then work on the weak entry points of the house to slow them down even more next time.

-Steve

[Silver R/T]

all these unemployed crackheads go running around looking for something to steal or cause trouble to honest people