He woke up to three teens robbing his cars — so he shot one of them with an AK-47, police say

A man in Panama Beach City, Florida, thwarted an attempted robbery outside his home this past Sunday when he shot one of the three suspected burglars with an assault rifle, police say.

The homeowner, whose identity was not revealed by police, awoke early Sunday morning when his wife told him she had heard a loud noise in their front yard. The man investigated and found three teenagers robbing their cars in the front yard. According to the Panama City News Herald, the homeowner told authorities one of the cars the teens were burglarizing had a firearm in it.

Per WTVY, the homeowner was armed with an AK-47 as he investigated the front yard, and at one point, the homeowner says, one of the robbers turned towards him in a way that made him fear he was about to be shot. The owner then opened fire with his rifle.

The robbers were able to flee in a car with a flat tire, and the homeowner later told police that the firearm that was in the car was now missing. Per WJHG, police were later able to track down the teens and found the handgun, as well as marijuana, in their car.

Police identified the three teens as Tristen Wilson, Conrad VonBlankenburg and Kevin Taylor. Wilson and VonBlankenburg are both 19, while Taylor is 15. During their getaway, Wilson was hit in the leg by one of the bullets from the AK-47. He was transported to a local hospital and treated.

All three teens have been charged with grand theft of a firearm, two counts of burglary and obstructing justice. Wilson has also been charged with possession of marijuana. Police believe all three teens were under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the robbery, per WTVY.

According to statistics from the Department of Justice, 26 percent of household burglaries take place when members of the household are at home. Of that 26 percent, 26 percent end in some form of violent crime against the household member.

This story was originally published August 18, 2017 at 3:31 PM with the headline "He woke up to three teens robbing his cars — so he shot one of them with an AK-47, police say."