It was quite a sight to behold outside Fresno City Councilman Luis Chavez’s home early Sunday. The 38-year-old councilman chased a two-time prowler down the street with a gun after catching him trying to break into his home.
Chavez had just returned from a vacation with his wife. While the two were away, they received news that their home had been broken into. It looks like the perp decided to come back for a second try. But this time, Chavez was home.
On Sunday, a day after returning from Mexico, Chavez was watching television at about 8 a.m. when he spotted a man peering through his front window who matched the description of the Wednesday burglar. “As I went to grab my gun, he goes to the house at the back of the property,” Chavez said. “I raised up the back window, pointed my gun at him and asked him, ‘What the (expletive) are you doing on my property?’ ”
Chavez said the man muttered something about finding property with the address on it and wanting to return it. “I told him not to move, but as I went out, he bolted and ran,” Chavez said. “I grabbed my keys, got in the car and chased him down the street.”
As the man ran down an alley, Chavez drove on the street and got ahead of him. When the man saw he was blocked, he ran through alleys and back yards with Chavez chasing him while on the phone with police. Fresno police officers ultimately caught him moments later near Tulare Avenue and Sixth Street, about three-quarters of a mile from Chavez’s home.
Police generally discourage pursuing a burglar, but Chavez says he was fed up. And we can’t blame him.
“I know it’s not the protocol to follow, but I was so angry I had to do something. … I’m sick and tired of people who think it’s OK to break into homes and cars and steal property. It’s not right, and it’s so rampant across the city. I hear stories like this from constituents all the time.”
There's a lesson to be learned here: Don't mess with Councilman Chavez.