JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A suspected carjacker was transported to a hospital Thursday afternoon after a Normandy Manor homeowner shot him in the leg “because he was in fear,” according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Police said the situation started when a K9 officer attempted a traffic stop on Springlake Drive on a vehicle believed to be stolen out of Suwannee County. The 30-year-old man then kicked a woman out of the car and sped away, Dukes said.
Police said the woman is cooperating with the investigation. Police believe the woman could be a victim of a crime and said she did not know the vehicle was stolen.
According to JSO, the man abandoned the vehicle near Justin Road West and then ran to a home on Oxbow Road near Herlong Road, where a home invasion took place.
Police said the man entered the home through the garage, pointed the gun at the homeowner’s head and tried to carjack the homeowner but was unsuccessful.
JSO said the man ran away after the unsuccessful attempt, but he returned to the home and reapproached the homeowner. The homeowner shot the man in the leg because he was in fear, police said.
“It’s very shocking,” K.P. Lancaster said.
Lancaster said violent crime in this community is something nearly unheard of.
“I just heard gunshots and people going every which way to search him out,” Lancaster said.
The homeowner is cooperating with the police.
The suspected carjacker was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said they are investigating if the homeowner’s actions were justified.