Opponents of the Second Amendment often press its defenders to produce evidence that law abiding citizens use guns for self defense. Even though it happens every day, they are reluctant to believe it. Those stories don’t often make headlines. This one did, though, and it is an epic example of a defensive gun use.
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An alert and armed Tennessee home owner found two escaped fugitives trying to steal his car. He and his neighbor held the two men at gunpoint until officers arrived.
Earlier this week, two inmates being transferred outside of Atlanta killed two guards and escaped from their prison van. They disappeared into the rural areas outside of the city. There, they broke into houses and stole vehicles. The two traveled together, but successfully eluded police for days.
Donnie Rowe and Ricky Dubose ended up in Tennessee. And that’s where their flight from justice ended. The broke into a home in Tennessee, held an elderly couple hostage while they ate, and then stole the couple’s car. After they’d fled, the couple managed to call the authorities and a chase began.
During the chase, the escapees fired at the police. They crashed the car off the interstate, then took to the woods on foot, and the police lost them there.
Lt. Bill Miller, Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman, said another homeowner found Donnie Rowe and Ricky Dubose stealing his vehicle. The pair had been involved in a high-speed chase with officers. They crashed and fled on foot outside of Christiana, Tennessee.
When the homeowner heard the two outside his home, he held them both at gunpoint. His neighbor called the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department.
This may well be a windfall for the homeowner, who has yet to be identified. There was a $130,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of these two men.
The search for the two fugitives widened dramatically as time passed. When they were not immediately captured, authorities assued they were on the run. Law Enforcement officials from Georgia, the GBI, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were all involved. Yet it fell to an armed citizen to bring their flight to an end.
“Rest assured, justice will be served. My sincere thanks to our local, state and federal law enforcement officers who assisted in the manhunt. Because of their tireless efforts, the public is safe.” Gov. Nathan Deal wrote in a statement. And, Gov. Deal, don’t forget the responsible use of a firearm by a citizen that made it all possible.
