Antonio Grant, 42, has a previous conviction for attempted forcible sexual battery on his record
A suspected burglar’s attempts to allegedly steal from an elderly couple’s Florida home was thwarted when the homeowner turned the tables on him with a firearm.
Neptune Beach Police said that on July 19, they responded to an in-progress occupied residential burglary and discovered suspect Antonio Grant, 42, had broken into the property through the home’s backdoor.
The homeowner, however, took him by surprise when he produced a firearm and held the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived.
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Antonio Grant, 42, was arrested in Neptune Beach, Florida, last week for allegedly breaking into an elderly couple's beach home. (Neptune Beach PD)
"What Grant did not foresee is that the homeowner had armed himself with his firearm and held him at gunpoint until our officers quickly responded and placed him under arrest," Neptune Beach Police said in a Facebook post.
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Grant was arrested and charged with a second-degree forcible felony for burglary. He is in police custody.
A beach in Neptune Beach, Florida. (Google Earth )
Authorities said Grant was fresh out of jail at the time of his arrest, following a stint for "committing an attempted forcible sexual battery in 2018 in Jacksonville Beach."
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Neptune Beach Police Department headquarters in Florida. (Google Maps )
"We are committed, dedicated, and ready to protect our community and its residence. We are also thankful of this brave homeowner’s actions and that the incident didn’t end much worse than it could have," the police department added.
"While rare in our community, heinous crimes like this can and do still occur. We highly encourage all of our citizens to practice home safety, invest in security measures such as cameras, and always call us if you ever believe there is a problem."
