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Subscribe to RSSA mother in Connecticut shows WVIT's Todd Piro how she chased, tackled and pinned down a would-be burglar who threatened her family.
A Connecticut woman confronted an intruder, chased him out her her home and held him down until police arrived.
Pauline Bragg, 52, was in her Willimantic home on Sunday night when she noticed a man inside.
“I looked and there's this guy, this big shadow standing there with a flashlight,” Bragg said.
The suspect, identified by police as Ramon Rivera, ran out of the house with Bragg right behind him.
“I didn't think, 'I'm going to decide to go chase him.' It was a reaction, you know,” said Bragg.
According to Bragg, who is the mother of a teenage boy, the chase continued into the backyards of three other homes.
“We got in a scuffle. He picked up a two-by-four and hit me,” Bragg said, still nursing bruises from the altercation.
As Bragg pinned Rivera down, she called out to neighbors for help, but said no one offered to assist her.
“I looked right at them and said, 'Get over here and help me.' And you know, nobody wants to get involved,” Bragg said.
Some neighbors called 911, and police arrived and took Rivera into custody. According to Bragg, Rivera told police that he had not broken into her home, but that the two had been involved in a domestic dispute.
“All of a sudden, he said. 'I don't want to be with you anymore,' like trying to make it sound like it was domestic violence, like I was a crazy woman trying to keep her man,” said Bragg.
Police quickly determined the two did not know each other.
Rivera is charged with second-degree assault, third-degree assault, second-degree burglary, third-degree criminal mischief and fifth-degree larceny. He is being held on $200,000 bond and is scheduled to be in court Sept. 28.
According to police, Rivera has 25 prior arrests.
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Leave a Comment:
It's Conn.! She'll be lucky if they don't charge her with violating Ramon's civil rights and attempted murder.
The neighbors are definitely little pansies.
You mean there is an alternative to just shooting the burglar in the chest? Who knew!
Yeah, 'cuz everyone has the fighting skill to subdue a hardened criminal.
/sarc
I remember seeing a video clip someone took immediately after an attempted purse snatching, the snatchee being a 70-some yr old woman. It so happened that she was a black belt in tae kwan do & the reigning champ in her age division at the local senior citizen center. She bounced the 20-some yr old (attempted) snatcher off the sidewalk 3 or 4 times before he wised up & stopped getting up off the sidewalk.
Wow, she accomplished all that WITHOUT a gun. That's what brave people do.
brave? maybe. Her "fight or flight" kicked in and it was on. Lucky for her this all worked out,now she needs to go and put some woop ass on those loser neighbors of hers. But dont let all that "without" a gun stuff get to your head. With or without a gun if a threat is running away from you let it, do not pursue it, let them go. But if she had a gun then this slim ball POS wouldnt have the opportunity to try a 26th or 27th attempt on someone else, who knows he may be targeting your house next!
I own many guns Adrienne. I use them for hunting like many men, and also protection if neccessary. I could
throw them all away today if I wanted to, and that would not make me any less brave. I promise you I am as brave as the next guy. But, if some low life thief enters my home with a flashlight and I feel he is a harm to me or my family, He will probably not be running out. There where be no chase like Pauline did. I'll be spending my time cleaning carpet and this guy will not be making crime number 27 in the future.
Brave? What she did was fairly stupid - she should have let him run away. She could have really caused some harm to herself if he had been armed. I'll keep my gun, thank you.
Is our liberal justice system going to wait for his 26th conviction, probably after he's murdered someone to take this POS of the street for good! You know there's no love loss if someone like this happens to disappear one day, what does he actually bring to the table? Does he pay taxes on the loot he steals? Why do we keep the losers around?
So the Government has someone to give our money to.
Neighbors - a big thumbs down!
Bad guy 'jilted' story - creative, but you're still a scumbag! Go to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. What is the matter with a system that lets this guy keep at it after 25 arrests?
Woman - my hat is off to you!
None of yall was there you dont know him or what he been thru. If you dont know about it dont speak abou it
Yall mean it's OK to be a scumbag who robs people if you've been thru something?
What's to know. Can't you read? He's a thug criminal thief. Been arrested 25 times before. Broke in and tried to take a womans property. Could have harmed her. Being held on $200,000 bond. That's pretty bad. I wouldn't want to be him and would never be.
If "what he's been through" makes him rob, then kill or cage him.
I'm surprised he hasn't already been shot to death.
Way to go Pauline,....should have killed the sob.
Pissed off mom-1 Career criminal - 0
Hey Pauline if you do not want to keep a hand gun in the house I'll buy you a taser so if this happens again you can really light up the criminals day!
I could tell this was a brave woman just by the picture. In her 50's and let her hair go grey. I'm not being sarcasitic. She lives life on her terms. I admire her. Good job.
I wish she would send a thank you note to all of those dear neighbors that chose not to help her. Yes, I am being sarcastic now.
That is all the reason to keep a gun in the house and know how to use it. I would not have had the strength that this woman did, great job for her, but she could have been killed. He might have stabbed or shot her. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot an intruder. Maybe if more criminals were killed they might think twice before breaking into a home. What a shame it has come to this.
As a gun owner myself, killing this intruder may have saved her life. On the other hand, I think you have to be super responsible and super certain before pulling the trigger. Most of the time, guns are like death buttons - you aim and pull and someone dies. The story said it was very dark - I couldn't imagine being in that situation with a gun - do i shoot without being able to see who is there (maybe a relative or friend), do i not shoot and take the chance of being shot/stabbed. These situations and situations with guns aren't (or shouldn't be) as simple as they are made out to be.
Tough call, I'm sure it happens so fast. Try to get them to identify themselves. If they run. Let them run.
But they are in your house with a flashlight. Come on. Who does that?
Be careful Ramon, I hear Conn has a 26 strikes law.
What she should have done is taken that 2 x 4 and crushed his skull or grab a butcher knife on the way out and disemboweled him on the spot. One less piece of trash to clutter up the country with...but a little messy for the neighbor to clean up after.
Make him serve his full sentence, then deport him.
her neighbors did not want to get involved? where did it happened, again?
am speechless...........
Good for this womam. I see a trend that people are going to take it anymore. If this woman had a fire arm she could've have dropped right where he stood. But she didn't. He chase him down and got him. She was crying for help and nobody came to her rescuse. The neighbors did call the police and the intruder was arrested. This shows that woman and elderly people are not going to take it anymore.
Another example of criminal slipped thru the cracks .
For shame on the neighbors for not providing her help when she called out for it!!!! IDIOTS!!!! That is what is wrong with today's society. They just don't give a sh*t!!!!!! I'm glad that she nailed that SOB and glad that he got arrested. One less addict on the streets.
25 prior arrests? Time for him to be sold to a dog food company.
As much as the story is interesting, when I read "chased him out her her home", I kind of figured "Uh oh. Someone skipped English class and is trying to write an article. HOW 'BOUT THAT."
Publish the names and addresses of the cowards.
I hate saying it, but the neighbors were probably right in calling 911. The reason I say that is because my father-in-law tried to stop a man who lived on his street from beating his wife, but then both husband and wife told him to mind his own business. I applaud this gutsy woman for what she did, I mean the guy could have killed her with that 2x4! Recently one of two stray kittens I have been feeding was killed out on the road by a vehicle. I couldn't do anything about it right away, so she laid on the side of the road all day near the curb. When I got home, nobody, not even the trash truck guys, put her on the grass and off the road. I was sure someone would at least do that, but nobody did and she was run over again and again and I felt horrible and took care of it the minute I was able to. People don't want to get involved. I just hope when a child is at risk or a distressed animal, they will get involved.
The intruder must have been physically handicapped.......
Serves him right! Too sorry to get up everyday and go to work, but seems to have enough energy to break into peoples homes! Just goes to show you never know who you're messing with! She's my hero!! I hope he rots in jail...hitting a woman with a 2x4! What an idiot! The "Neighbors" should be ashamed of themselves.
He has 25 prior arrests????? Shoot him in the head and be done with it! I get so pissed off when I read crap like that. Awhile back I read about someone's NINTH DUI! Really? That is the definition of a broken justice system with the wrong judges and the wrong laws in place.
Why on earth does every commentary somehow end up in a political blame game? This story has NOTHING to do with politics, gun control or race . A perp broke into her house, she chased him down and held him until police arrived. It sounds like this woman would have done the exact same thing no matter what race he was or whether he was a democrat or republican.