Armed state senator foils alleged burglary by teens

Armed state senator foils alleged burglary by teens
'I got 4 of them. 1 got away. ... I'm sick of crime. I'm sick of being a victim'

State Sen. Tim Burchett says he foiled a burglary of his warehouse on Wednesday and held the suspected teenagers at gunpoint until authorities arrived.

The Knoxville Republican said the warehouse where he keeps old motorcycles and parts had previously been burglarized and he was trying to catch the perpetrators by staking out the woods nearby, The Knoxville News Sentinel reported on its Web site.

The teenagers had broken off the lock and were about to go inside when he confronted them with his pistol.

"I got four of them. One got away," Burchett said, although deputies told him the fifth was arrested...
...later. "I think that's pretty good. I'm sick of crime. I'm sick of being a victim. I've been staying up at night trying to catch these guys."

Knox County Sheriff's department spokeswoman Martha Dooley confirmed that the teenagers were arrested, but said a report had not been filed and she could not give details.

Burchett told the newspaper that three motorcycles and a security camera had previously been stolen, apparently after school hours.

When he spotted the teens Wednesday, he said he called 911 to tell them he was armed and planned to confront the suspects.

"The lady said, 'Are you going to shoot them?' and I said, 'No, I'm notgoing to shoot some kid over a dad-gum motorcycle,'" he said.

Burchett said he told the youths to "put your hands up" and then to "put your hands behind your head."

"One of them said, 'Well, which one do you want: Hands up or behind the head?' and I said, 'Either one,'" he said.

The senator was re-elected last week without opposition and has served in the state General Assembly for eight years. He holds a concealed weapon permit and owns two pistols: a 9 mm Glock and a .25-caliber Keltec.