Private Security Guard Shoots Burglary Suspect In Oakland Hills
OAKLAND (KCBS) - A burglary suspect was hospitalized after being shot Thursday by a private security guard trying to thwart a home burglary in the Oakland Hills.
A guard employed by Security Code 3 was patrolling the Oakmore neighborhood when he happened upon a burglary in progress on Harding Drive, according to the company's regional manager, Richard McDermott.
The guard chased the suspected burglar onto a nearby street, eventually shooting him in the leg in a driveway on the 4000 block of Waterhouse Road shortly after 1 p.m.
"It's distressing, to say the least," McDermott said, adding that it was highly unusual for one of his officers to discharge a service weapon in the course of a patrol.
Private Security Guard Shoots Burglary Suspect In Oakland Hills
"I'm very concerned with my officers. They do have a lot of training. They're not police officers. They don't get paid nearly enough money," he said, given the risks they assume.
But residents who witnessed the chase did not share his misgivings, such as Robin Kerry, whose driveway was where the alleged burglar met with a bullet.
"If it had been me, I would have shot him clean through so he wouldn't have to go to the hospital," he said, but instead, "to the morgue."
His neighbor, Alex Shore, praised the security guard for taking quick action to stop a crime.
"It's kind of like the old western movie where everyone hides under the tables because the bad guys are in town. Today, I hope it's a good message," she said.
Shore said about sixty residents in the area decided to contract with Code 3 Security because of incidents such as the home invasion robbery in January where an 81-year-old woman was shot by an armed intruder.
The suspect in Thursday's burglary remains hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. His name has not been released.
The name of the security guard who opened fire has also not been made public.
