MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A suspected home burglar alternated between threats and begging when confronted by the woman whose East Memphis home he’d allegedly broken into.
After having her gun stolen in a car break-in three weeks ago, the victim said she was surprised Wednesday morning when she learned she was being victimized again.
“I was at work for like 30 minutes and got a notification to my phone that motion was going on in my home,” she said.
She said she raced home to find a strange car in her driveway loaded with her belongings and an A/C unit that had been knocked out of window. When she looked inside, she said a man police identify as Carlos Gwin emerged.
Not wanting to take any chances, the victim said she grabbed the first thing she could, which happened to be a piece of wood.
“I hit him through the window. I was hitting him at the top of his head through the window,” she said.
At that point, she said Gwin threatened to shoot her, but she was determined not to let that happen.
As he raced to his car with her belongings, she said she pounced on him and managed to toss away his car keys.
“He figured I still had the key on me so he was asking me, he started pleading with me, ‘Can you just give me my key? Just give me my key?'” she said.
In a bid to get his keys back, the victim said Gwin gave back everything he’d taken including a TV, DVD player and $600 cash.
But somewhere along the line, things got out of hand again, and the homeowner had to restrain the suspect as he punched and kicked her.
“I was honestly trying to hold him until the police got here,” she said. “I grabbed him and held onto him.”
When officers finally arrived, they found much more than electronics in Gwin’s car. They report finding marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy.
They say he admitted to breaking into the home and then threatened to return and kill the homeowner when he’s released from jail. His bond is currently set at $75,000.
But the homeowner cautions any would-be thief about trying her house.
“Think twice. I’m protecting mine. I’m protecting what I work hard for,” she said.