JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 17-year-old burglary suspect was hospitalized after he shot himself in the leg Monday morning while attempting to pull a gun on a homeowner, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Officers responded to the incident about 5 a.m. Monday on North Old Middleburg Road and McGlothlin Street which followed a car burglary on nearby Buttercup Street.
Louis Dizor woke up to the sound of a his truck horn going off.
"I looked out the window and saw someone going in and out between the two trucks," Dizor said.
Dizor said he walked outside and confronted him and asked him to return anything he had taken.
"He's like, 'I don't have anything, but what I do have is a gun and I'm getting ready to pop you with (it)'," Dizor said.
Dizor backed off and the suspected armed burglar took off in his personal car. Police said Dizor followed the the fleeing suspect about 500 yards when the suspect attempted to draw his weapon, but shot himself in the process.
"He continued to run northbound on Old Middleburg Road where he dropped several items and ended up falling on the ground and rescue was called for him," Sgt. A.L. Tompkins said.
Among the items dropped was a loaded gun clip.
Police later identified the person shot as Kyrie Smith. He was taken to UF Health Jacksonville and had surgery, but the injury was not believed to be life-threatening.
Smith was absentee booked on three counts of car burglary, aggravated assault and discharging a firearm in public.
JSO records show 12 auto burglaries were reported within 1 miles of Monday's incident over the past week.
"We’ve had numerous incidents, especially the last three days where numerous cars have been burglarized by suspects," Thompkins said. "Yesterday we had an incident, we had seven cars in one neighborhood that was burglarized. The day before I understand that was a neighborhood that had five burglaries in one neighborhood, so we've seen an increase in burglaries to vehicles."
Dizor said two guns were recently stolen from the truck of his neighbor across the street.
"It's a shame that we dropped that bad in this country, that people are willing to take other people’s hard work for themselves," Dizor said.