Lubbock, Texas

From Lubbock’s KLBK13.tv of January 25, 2007

Tech Students Get Their Guns Up to Stop Burglars

For the second time in less than 48 hours, a Texas Tech student is forced to put two would-be burglars on the other end of the gun barrel. But these Tech students are finished being targets and are fighting back by turning the trigger on the crooks. Around 8:30 Tuesday night, Ron Harmon was at his home at 5705 Grinnell studying, when he heard someone rattling his front door knob. Relying on instinct, Harmon grabbed his gun and hid.

“So I waited and acted like I wasn`t home and they broke in the back door” says Harmon.

Two Hispanic men busted down his back door. When one of the men entered his roommate’s bedroom, Harmon made his move.

“I told him I`d kill him if he didn`t stop” he says.

One suspect escaped by running out of the back door, but 17-year old Thomas Jeremy Martinez wasn`t so lucky.

Harmon forced Martinez to get on his knees and held him at gunpoint until police arrived.

Martinez had only one thing to say, “Don’t kill me.”

Lubbock police officers arrested Martinez, but this is the second time this week that a Tech student`s house has been burglarized. And this is the second time a Tech student has put the bad guy on the other end of the barrel.

“I came home and there was a car parked in an unusual spot. My door was open and I walked inside. The gun was by the door and there were some guys in the back. I yelled and fired two shots into the ground to scare them off” says Matt Hoskinson.

On Monday, Hoskinson came home from class to find three men raiding his home and he too grabbed a gun.

“They took the T.V. off the wall and PS2, but dropped it when I shot at them” says Hoskinson.

“I think it`s a shame they’re targeting college students. There have been several cases of it” he says.

Harmon and his roommate just moved into this house on January 1st. Since then, they say they have seen the guys who broke in scoping out the house. Despite this, Harmon says they have no plans of moving out. But they say they will keep that gun.

Both Harmon and Hoskinson had concealed handgun licenses.