Police: Man shot burglar breaking into car

Police said a car owner fired shots at two men breaking into his car, injuring one of the suspects early Thursday.

Officers said the car owner heard the smashing of his back window and then saw two men by his car in the parking lot of an apartment complex on John Penn Circle in northeast Charlotte at about 4:30 a.m. The car owner opened fire and struck one of the suspects in the chest, neck and face with birdshot.

Police said the injured suspect ran away, but officers found him on The Plaza near W.T. Harris Boulevard. Officers used police dogs but they were unable to find the second suspect. Thank you for participating.

Police said the injured man, who they identified as 18-year-old Hassan Fisher, is in stable condition at Carolinas Medical Center. Capt. Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said the suspect has a history of break-ins.

Investigators questioned the car owner but he has not been charged at this time.

Neighbors said break-ins are a problem in the area.

“People work hard for their money, and for somebody to come around and try to take your car -- I would have done the same thing,” said Tramel Patrick.

According to police records, in the last year 28 cars have been stolen or broken into in the immediate area of the apartment complex.

“People come around here, breaking in cars. They don’t want to work. That's what it is. They don’t care and they just try to take from somebody else, and it can’t go down like that -- not every day,” Patrick said.

Police acknowledge that car break-ins are a problem, but they don’t advocate the public turning to guns unless necessary.

“If they feel their life is in danger or another person’s life is in danger, then they are permitted to use whatever force or whatever means necessary to protect that,” Jennings said.

Jennings said the case is still under investigation and couldn’t say if the suspects had guns or if any threats were made. He said any decision on charges against the car’s owner would come from the district attorney.

“They'll decide whether, based on the information give to them, if the owner of the vehicle felt threatened at the time the shots were fired,” he said.

The parents of the car owner said they did not want to give the man’s name for fear of retaliation. They said he is already planning on moving out of his apartment as soon as possible.

If you have any information that could help police find the second suspect, call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

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