Memphis, Tennessee

From Memphis‘ WMCStations.com of October 14, 2005

Dogs turn the table on would-be thieves

A Memphis owner fought back during a bizarre home invasion Thursday.

Shawn Stewart didn't use his security system to keep two robbers out, because he knew one of them.

"I know him as Lil' Stickup," he said. "That's his rap name."

Stewart thinks the suspects used the guise of wanting studio time to get inside his home. He and his friend Jelahni Bridgeforth went to a back room to talk with the rapper and partner.

"Next thing I know, he pulled a pistol and pointed it at me," Bridgeforth said. "He told me to drop the phone, and pointed it."

"After that, they walked us around the house," Stewart said. "They wanted us to give them everything we had."

The robbers told the men they were going to kill everyone in the house, including a child, if they did not cooperate. Stewart, who has a handgun permit, wasn't able to get to his gun.

Then, his pet bulls stepped in.

"Once my dogs started biting on them, they diverted their attention towards the dogs," Stewart said. That's when his wife grabbed Stewart's gun and gave it to him.

The bullets flew through the hose, and through a door. Both robbers ran out of the house, and down the street.

"I had my kids in the house, my wife, and my mother-in-law," Stewart said. "I wasn't really thinking about dying. I was thinking about protecting my family."

While he credits his wife and friend for their quick thinking, he credits his dogs with turning the table on the would-be thieves.