Jacksonville man stops burglar in his front yard, chases him away at gunpoint

Exclusive video shows a local man stopping a vehicle burglar in his own front yard. The video shows that man chasing the burglar away at gunpoint.

Brian Brevaldo of Windergate Drive said he saw a man rifling through his truck early Thursday morning.

“I was like, 'Put your hands out where I can see them! Drop to your knees!’ And I said it four or five times,” Brevaldo said. “He would not do it. And the whole time I'm thinking what was in his hand was a gun. But what it turned out to be was my radar detector, so had he turned around, I would've shot the guy not knowing any better. So it's real lucky he didn't die that night.”

Officers say the man got away. He targeted at least one other neighbor that night, according to police.

“It was almost like he was just walking straight down this aisle here,” Brevaldo said. “Whatever he could get, he was going after.”

Action News Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson said Brevaldo was within his rights to do what he did, but he doesn't recommend it.

“I would advise you to dial 911, keep an eye out for where this person is, and don't approach him,” Jefferson said.

“I hope they identify [the suspect]," Brevaldo said. “I really hope we can get this guy off the street.”

Brevaldo said he chased another person away a week ago. He said they were trying to get into his wife's car, but thankfully the door was locked. He and his wife didn't bother calling the police on that occasion, he said.

Cox Media Group