A 78-year-old grandmother from Washington took an intruder for a surprise as she held the man at gunpoint and told him to “stay right there.
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The gun-toting grandmother, known as Sandy, knew something was wrong on Sunday night when her dog, Booboo, began barking.
“At the moment I was scared to death, I really was,” she said in an interview.
She went to investigate, and found herself face-to-face with a man who was trying to break in.
“And we looked at each for a few minutes and he turned and started to leave,” said Sandy, who at that time had no plans to let the man disappear into the night.
“And I said, ‘Oh, no you don’t. You stay right there,’” she said to the man, then reached over to her legally-owned shotgun, cocked it, and pointed it at him as she dialed 911.
“Told him to go out, sit on the steps. I followed him out. And when he got to the bottom of the steps I told him to sit down and I just stood here with the shotgun waiting for the police to come,” she continued.
While Sandy was initially shocked by the encounter, she started to feel in control of the incident.
Their neighborhood has been plagued by car prowls as of late, and said she has had enough.
“I was totally calm, really and truly,” she said, “You know, I’ve got grandchildren your age.’”
County deputies arrived and arrested the suspect, thanking Sandy for her quick thinking and bold actions.
“After he was so meek and mild and sat down like I told him to, empowering! I felt like at least I was in charge, I wasn’t afraid,” she said.
The senior homeowner decided not to press charges, and the authorities promptly released the intruder.