A man used his legally-owned AR-15 rifle to stop a knife attack at his apartment building in Illinois.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dave Thomas was at his home in the town of Oswego when he heard a commotion out in the hallway. He went outside to check out what was going on. That’s when he witnessed one of his neighbors getting stabbed during an argument.
“I poked my head out the door. There was a pool of blood, blood was everywhere in the hall,” Thomas told WGN. “There was still a confrontation going on, there were about three or four people involved at this point. So I ran back into the home, into my house and grabbed my AR-15. Grabbed the AR-15 over my handgun. It’s just a bigger gun. I think a little bit more of the intimidation factor definitely played a part in him actually stopping.”
The suspect managed to take off upon seeing Thomas’ AR-15 rifle, but he was later apprehended by police. The victim was then transported to an area hospital and is expected to recover.
AR-15 Rifle Owner
Police confirmed that Thomas has a valid FOID (Firearms Owners’ Identification) card, as well as a concealed carry permit. He also says he’s a firearms instructor. The AR-15 is his preferred home defense weapon.
“The AR-15 is my weapon of choice for home protection,” Thomas said. “It’s light, it’s maneuverable. If you train and know how to use it properly, it’s not dangerous. And this is just a perfect example of good guy with an AR-15 stopped a bad guy with a knife. And there were no lives taken, so all in all it was a good day.”
