INDIANAPOLIS — An alleged thief was arrested after being shot by a homeowner on the east side of Indianapolis.
On Tuesday, March 5, police were called to a reported burglary in the 400 block of North Forest Avenue, near East New York and North Rural streets. Officers arrived and found a homeowner holding the suspected burglar.
Security doors now cover each entryway of the home Alfred Burdine is rebuilding from the ground up.
Burdine told police he was leaving for work early Tuesday morning and when he checked around his property, he noticed a man stealing his generator.
"When I came around, I could see more of him. So, I parked right there, and I got out the car, and he was happy with the generator, walking off that way, and then, I walked up behind him, and then, I circled around him after I got his attention," Burdine said.
Burdine said he had his gun drawn when he confronted the alleged burglar.
"The possibility of him going violent at that time was pretty high. It's 4:30 in the morning, nobody around. You're bold enough to break into my garage, my house, you're bold enough to do anything," Burdine said.
It was when the man started easing his hands into his pockets that Burdine said he fired his gun.
"I shot him in the leg to make him stop, and then, I made him lay on the ground until police came," Burdine said.
But it doesn't stop there.
Burdine said when he got back from being questioned at the police station, he was being burglarized a second time.
According to police records, a suspect in that case was arrested, too.
"I don't know what is going on. I think we just need more patrols because there are a lot of people with drug problems, and there is no treatment for them," Burdine said. "Since they closed Central State, where do these people have to go? You got people with mental problems; you got drug addicts. Where do you take these people, even if they wanted some help?"