Something Bad happened. Was I right?

My point of view is no, you should not feel guilty. First I think self-defense is a proper response. Secondly, if someone is committing a crime, they should be caught and put under arrest. Thirdly, it's possible that this guy if he had gotten away would have broken into a home belonging to someone unable to defend themselves and hurt that person. I think you did the right thing in apprehending him, and I'm glad you weren't hurt.

I don't know if it is up to you whether or not to press charges at this point? If it is, I guess I'd say to do what you think is best. I would probably press charges unless possibly if the person was a teenager who had no previous record and I thought they were too scared to do it again!

If something like this should ever happen again, God forbid, it would be safer in terms of legal ramifications not to pursue the person once he leaves your house. You put yourself at risk of being sued by the burglar or in some places arrested if you defend yourself and there is no immediate threat to your life or property.

I think it's very understandable that you are upset about this. It's normal and proper to feel remorse at having to hurt another person. However, sometimes it's the right thing to do.

 

If I had caught him in my house he whould have gotten a tail full of buckshot.

 

Marco, it's always difficult to consider what one will do when put in a situation such as you were.
It's easy to let instinct take over and adrenaline shadow your thought process. Yes, there was a point where you were no longer "defending" your life or property, and that is where it should have ended...this guy running, you calling the police. But who is going to fault you for relying on your instinct and pursuing him? Certainly not I.

I don't know how long you've taken martial arts, but in a sense perhaps a bit of your guilt feeling is coming from training, that you disregarded your training discipline and pursued the trespasser? Just a thought.

Either way, it's in the hands of the police now. file charges, see that this person is punished by the law.

 

You should have no guilt. The dude that is guilty is the burglar. Who knows what the dude was up to?
I'm glad you caught him. What if you don't catch him and he comes back with vengence because you tried to catch him but didn't . Maybe he brings a gun and shoots you dead.
A person breaks into my house and tries to rob me or bring harm to my wife and 3 daughters he better get ready to rumble or whatever it takes for me to defend my loved ones period.
The burglar takes risks when breaking and entering. One of them is getting the tar beat out of them by a dude that knows martial arts. HA HA

 

your training is resolute upon your discipline, and discipline plays a big factor in how you handle your emotions. There really isn't a right/wrong to this. You did what you felt at the time needed to be done. Like I said earlier, adrenaline and emotion played a large factor in your actions.

that's a good idea

That might be a bad idea. I would suggest to further your training, including having a discussion with your instructor about what happened as well.

 

If a person breaks into a house, they are usually doing so on the premise that the house is unoccupied at the time. Very rarely will a burglar enter a house when the people who live there are home, unless it's just a kid or a stupid burglar.
With that said, the last thing on their mind is doing anyone harm, physically...they're under the assumption that no one is there, so no one to harm. Burglars are very rarely aggressive people, they're cowards, that's why they sneak around.

 

Marco, I think the fact that you're asking the question "should I feel guilty" suggests that you're being mature and respinsible. From reading you OP, it looks like you're describing a perfect understandable and acceptible "fight or flight" response. If you had it in your mind to do harm to the person, then your cincerns might be legitimate. But it clearly was neither your intent, nor your desire, to do him any harm at all. Feeling guilty about having caused harm to him is what a person who is not rationalizing behavior would do. Good for you for being in thie proper and Christian mindset.

No, you did nothing wrong, or inappropriate.

 

Hey buddy you did right! I hope you hit him with a base ball bat. I'm in Maine. I am a Baptist preacher with a disabled wife and three kids at home. If he would have been in my house and I would have caught him like you did.....he wouldn't have to worry about his broken wrist!!

 

I would agree...

 

You did the right thing on many levels.This person is lucky he is not dead and now he is thinking in those terms.Hopefully this person will realize that he is not good at his chosen profession and pursue a new career which is good for everybody concerned.You have made the world a safer place in your own small way.His consequence is at minimum some broken bones.He should also have a criminal penalty to pay,having committed a crime.
When you pray tonight thank God you had the strength and skill to do what you did ,this guy could have really been hurt bad if you had attacked him not knowing what you were doing.It would do no harm to pray for his salvation while you are there.

 

Marco, if he had made it through the dogs and had broken in on me and my kids and he'd have gotten shot.

Around here burglers are likely to be meth addicts and high as a kite. They are nothing to be played with and we have had many occasions where they come in with weapons. These folks need to be caught. If they suffer a little pain in the process to bad for them. Maybe it will be a lesson to him.

Ask your kids(if they're old enough) how they feel about you catching the guy who invaded your home. I dare say they feel much more secure knowing that Daddy can take care of trouble when it happens.

 

You did nothing to feel guilty about. The burglar was in the wrong for illegally ennterng your property. IMHO.
Faithgirl

 

With all respect, I would advise against this. Take it for what it's worth, but what would be the gain in having your children relive this instance, if they witnessed any of it at all.

 

Do you have kids Woody? It doesn't sound like it or else your kids are very very different from mine.

I wouldn't have to ask mine. My kids discuss things like this to death(not that we've had someone break in our house, but close friends of ours as well as neighbors have). For mine, talking it over(and over and over) is their way of coming to grips with whatever has happened. It makes mine more secure to talk things out, discuss different scenarios(what if?) and decide if there was a better way.

But my kids are 13, 10 and 7 and so may be much older than Marco's which is why I added "if they are old enough" to my post.