Victim says he fought off 3 robbery suspects

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Early Thursday, March 21, police said a Mobile man was held at gunpoint in his own home at the 4600 block of Pinewood Drive off Forest Hill Drive. The victim spoke to FOX10 News and wants you to know about the danger that could lurk in your neighborhood.

"As I stepped outside of the house, a guy ran up, put a shotgun in my face and told me, 'Give me all your money. Give me all your jewelry and everything,'” the victim said.

Around 1:30 a.m., the man said he was assaulted by three home invaders with a shotgun. He said they approached him in the front yard. As he fought two of the men in the yard, he said the armed intruder made his way into the home and into the master bedroom where the victim’s wife was sleeping.

"I fought the three guys off. They kept punching me and swinging. I'm thinking, this is my family and this isn’t going down like this,” he said.

The victim was able to make his way into the house and position himself between the armed intruder and his wife.

After being held at gunpoint, the victim says he might know why he was targeted. He says the streetlight directly outside his house is faulty. He said it's been out for months and not having a well lit neighborhood spells trouble for the community.

"You know the street light has been out for about six months. And it's created a situation where people have used the darkness for illicit activities,” the victim said.

Neighbor Jason Daniel has lived next door for nine years. He said he moved to the neighborhood because it was quiet. Recently, during the middle of the night, his nephew spotted two men in the yard next door with a flashlight. After a few minutes, they were gone and not seen again.

"Now in retrospect, it kind of seems they were here scoping stuff out trying to figure out who to break into. I guess maybe sharing that information with neighbors when you see something that's kind of odd ball like that could have maybe prevented something like this,” said Daniel.

Both he and the victim say better communication is ideal in these types of situations. The victim said he is taking every precaution necessary to protect his home and his family.

"At the end of the day, regardless of what happens to me, they are going to be alright,” said the victim.

Late Thursday afternoon, officers said they caught two of the suspects involved in this crime. Joseph Hancock, Delante Jackson and Marcus Smith were arrested and charged with robbery and burglary.

If you have information on the other two suspects in this case, give Mobile Police a call.