Overseas OAPs Out in Force to Foil Thieves

The elderly are generally seen as easy targets for unscrupulous crooks, given their advanced years, reduced mobility and often frail temperament. However, a priority parking badge doesn’t necessarily translate to a soft touch when it comes to thievery, as two hapless bandits found out the hard way around the globe this week.

The first incident took place in Santiago, Chile, when a one-handed grandad brought down a scurrying teen and his swag bag inside a shopping centre. Down under, an Aussie pensioner decided to go medieval in defence of his property by shooting a would-be carjacker in the behind with a bow and arrow in Sydney.

You have much to learn, young grasshopper

Raúl Muñoz was out with his wife at the Las Condes shopping centre in Santiago when he happened to notice an attempted jewellery theft unfold before his eyes. The 84-year-old spotted a young ragamuffin tearing out of the store and his instinct kicked in; instantly he leapt into action and took the fleeing thug down with a single karate kick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0HstuSlt-E

Despite having lost his hand during a freak accident in his 20s, Muñoz didn’t hesitate to impede the thief. Though he himself crashed to the ground in the process and was taken to hospital for a check-up, he was fortunately found to be uninjured.

However, his wife did not let him off so lightly. “After that, my wife did not speak to me for about four hours,” he explained. “I was punished. She asked me, ‘But why do you do these things?’” The young thief and his mother both had their collars felt by the long arm of the law.

Bullseye!

Meanwhile, over in Australia, a 68-year-old went to similarly unorthodox lengths to protect his home and family by brandishing a bow and arrow (presumably) from the nether regions of his hooded cloak and scaring off a carjacker.

The poor victim was sitting in his Wattle Grove home with his wife when a fiendish robber broke into their house and ransacked the place, making off with cash and valuables from their bedroom, as well as keys to the couple’s Nissan. The car proved to be a bridge too far for the homeowner, who decided enough was enough and brought out his archery gear, confronting the thief just as he was reversing out of their garage.

Terrified, the criminal fled from the car and hopped their fence, making a beeline for his own getaway vehicle. Unperturbed, the homeowner calmly mounted the fence and took aim at the fleeing figure, landing a direct hit on his buttocks.

Though it’s not illegal to own such a weapon in New South Wales, the police did confiscate the bow as evidence and are on the lookout for a man checking into hospitals carrying an injury consistent with such an unusual attack.

CCTV more reliable than OAPs

On these particular occasions, the two men showed there was still plenty of fight left in the old dog yet. However, we can’t always rely on a handily-placed octogenarian to spring into action every time our home or business is being targeted by roguish scoundrels.

On the other hand, CCTV and home security systems can provide exactly that sort of 24-hour protection which is so invaluable in today’s world. At Blackburn Alarms, we have a whole host of intruder alerts, CCTV cameras and access control systems to increase safety and give you peace of mind. To find out more about how we can help secure your home or workplace, get in touch with us today.