Sam Amico
A business owner from Rochester, N.Y., is being hailed as a hero after tracking down a suspect who stole scrap from his auto shop, then shooting out the tires of the vehicle in which the alleged thief tried to drive away.
Videos by Rare
But auto shop owner Steve Bonelli said he’s just “trying to protect what’s left.”
Video recorded by Bonelli’s fiancée showed the scene playing out after he noticed scrap had been stolen from his business. It revealed Bonelli had pulled out a gun on the suspect, who reportedly had pulled out a gun first. (Side note: It turned out the suspect had a pellet gun.)
The suspect is a 48-year-old man who was driving a stolen white truck, police said. After making his alleged theft, he turned the truck toward Bonelli’s fiancée, and another individual used his own black truck to try to push the suspect’s truck away.
That’s when Bonelli sprung to action, shooting out the tires on the white truck. The suspect crashed and was arrested not long after.
“I’m like a guy that’s protecting what’s left. We’re leaving,” Bonelli said, via WHEC. “Three years ago, this lot had over 100 cars in it. And we’ve been robbed so much and had cars stolen and vandalized — I’m done.
“I’m closing my business in two months and we’re moving to Texas. Because I’m done. We’re leaving behind family, friends. I can’t deal with it anymore.”
The unnamed suspect is facing charges of burglary and reckless endangerment, along with several others. WHEC reported that Bonelli is not expected to face any charges.
