An armed burglar was shot in the butt on Tuesday by a New Mexico homeowner's boyfriend after lunging at him with a box cutter.
Carlos Vasquez went to meet cleaners who had been hired after a string of break-ins at his girlfriend's home when he found Michael Dunn inside the home, according to KOB4. When Vasquez confronted Dunn, the intruder pulled out a box cutter and attempted to cut Vasquez. However, Vasquez was armed with a firearm.
"The guy pulled a knife on him and took a swipe at his face that homeowner decided to defend himself," Albuquerque Police Department Public Information Officer Simon Drobik told the news station.
Vasquez first hit Dunn with the pistol to attempt to ward off the box cutter attack and then fired a shot which ended up hitting the intruder in the butt. Police determined the shooting was in self-defense.
"We don't advocate shooting anybody, of course," Drobik told KOB4. "But in this circumstance, he was defending himself."
Police said they found items stolen from the home in the intruder's car once they arrived at the scene. The intruder was transported to the hospital. The homeowner's boyfriend will not be charged with a crime.
"It appears the homeowner was defending himself and will not be charged at this time," Drobik told the Albuquerque Journal.