Robbery Victim Follows Attacker Home

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Posted: 7:10 PM Oct 11, 2008
Last Updated: 9:43 PM Oct 11, 2008
Reporter: Lynnette Taylor

8 comments

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Authorities arrest a man for robbery and possession of a stolen handgun early this morning.

Wilmington Police say William Baptiste held up a man at the Krispy Kreme on College Road just before one am.

According to authorities, the victim followed Baptiste to an apartment complex and then called for help.

Officers went to the location and found Baptiste along with a handgun inside his vehicle, in plain view.

Authorities discovered the the gun has been reported stolen back in 2004.

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Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: ??? Location: NC on Oct 13, 2008 at 05:49 PM
Right on C and Cat.

Posted by: Robbery Victim Location: Anywhere, USA on Oct 13, 2008 at 01:35 AM
I think it was a smart move for the victim to follow the robber (as long as it was done discreetly, as it evidently was). It did help to make the policemen's jobs easier and at least one more villain is off the streets, but for how long? They should send this criminal away for life and let others who think about committing the same crime realize that they will be locked up for the rest of their lives if they ever just threaten another person's life with a gun. I am happy that this turned out without incident and it would be great if we could all be so lucky as to know the robber's whereabouts immediately following the crime. Hats off to this victim. They had a lot of courage, which was probably driven by a lot of anger as well at the time. Good job and God bless you!!! Happy ending to a bad experience, but something to "tell the grandkids"!!

Posted by: C on Oct 12, 2008 at 09:34 PM
Hey,???, just wanted to say, your comments were exactly right. I hope no one thought I was saying the guy should have followed the robber. Just as you say, the threat was over and if a shooting had erupted afterward, the robbery victim very likely would've been charged,and rightly so. My comments were meant to be in general, and not specific to the originally reported incident. You hit it right on the head; deadly force is always the last resort. I'm just saying that all citizens [with no criminal record and / or history of mental issues] should be able to own firearms if they so choose, be it for hunting, sport, self-defense, or whatever. Just wanted to clarify my position. Take care !

Posted by: C on Oct 12, 2008 at 07:00 PM
Hey, Cat, thanks for the support ! Always remember the old saying : ''A conservative is a liberal that just got mugged.'' Take care !

Posted by: ??? Location: NC on Oct 12, 2008 at 06:43 PM
Im glad that the situation worked out for the good guy this time, but this is definitely not recommended.He may have been shot, and also if the good guy had a gun and followed the robber and things went bad, then the DA would probably try to charge him.The only legal use of deadly force is if someone is a deadly threat to your life, and if the robber left, then in the laws eyes the threat was over.

Posted by: Cat Location: Gboro on Oct 12, 2008 at 04:56 PM
Absolutely right, C! Thats what worries me about these anti-gun activist. All thats going to do is take guns away from people that need them for protection! Its just a scary thought...

Posted by: C on Oct 11, 2008 at 10:49 PM
One thing in this story caught my eye: the weapon used by the robber was a stolen gun. This goes along with what most people already know: criminals steal their guns, they don't typically get them at gun shows or gun shops. Despite what Sarah Brady and company say, NO gun law will stop a criminal from getting a gun. Crooks ignore our laws, which is why we call them crooks. These various stores that refuse to allow concealed carry permit holders inside - do they really think that a criminal will be stopped by their ''No Concealed Weapons'' sign ? No, the would-be robbers / murderers know from these signs that they'll encounter no resistance ! Yes, the police can be called, usually after it's too late. Sure, the crook might get the gun away from you..but a fighting chance beats no chance at all. I'm not saying we should be vigilantes. I'm simply saying people should take responsibility for their own safety. Many victims cooperate with the crook and still get killed. I say: fight back.

Posted by: ha on Oct 11, 2008 at 08:49 PM
"...just before one am" -- that's an interesting way to write the time something occurred

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