Breaking in and breaking out.

A 71-year-old man used a gun to deter a violent thief.

At about 2 a.m. on August 5, the father of the owner of the Deluxe Antique Store, who lives on the premises, surprised a burglar who had just gained entrance to the store by breaking through a wall. As related in a story by NBC's Channel 6 News in Corpus Christi, Texas, the owner of the store said, "My dad came out there. He said stop or I'll shoot. The guy ducked down here and come up with something and threw it at my dad."

In this case, the mere sight of a gun was not enough to send the burglar running, and so the elderly gentleman shot at him several times, apparently missing, hitting only merchandise. During the melee, the burglar got close enough to the elderly man to smash a mirror over his head, and then he fled by busting through a store window. In his haste to escape, the burglar apparently gashed his head on the broken glass of the window, and he left a bloody trail down the sidewalk.

A 19-year-old suspect was later arrested at a local hospital where he was getting treatment for his head wound. The storeowner said that the thief had likely been in the store previously, applying for a job. He added that the police told him that thieves often use the pretext of asking for a job to give a store a good once-over.

Charges are pending against the burglar. The elderly man was treated for his wounds at a local hospital.