On Oct. 4 at 12:30 p.m., in broad daylight, two men attempted to take a catalytic converter from a 2000 Ford Excursion that was parked outside a family's home in Turlock, Calif.
According to ABC10 News, this has been the seventh attempt where thieves have tried taking this specific catalytic converter.
Luckily, the attempt was caught on the home's surveillance camera. The video shows two men underneath the vehicle. After first getting startled by the vehicle's alarm, the two men got back to work on sawing the part off. But then they were startled again, but this time by the sounds of the family shouting and the firing of paintball guns.
To watch the attempted catalytic converter theft on video, click here.
"A frustrated resident of the home is captured on home surveillance shooting the two male suspects, multiple times, with a paint ball gun," Turlock Police spokesperson Sgt. Mike Parmley told ABC10 News.
The two men were said to have been hit while they got into their car which was parked on the street.
While the family was able to deter the apparent would-be thieves, police are still advising people to avoid taking matters into their own hands, reported ABC10 News.
"Despite having the right to defend your own property, these types of actions could be very unsafe," Parmley said. "Upon confronting individuals committing crimes, their actions are often unpredictable and could lead to intervening citizens becoming victims of an assault or more serious crime."
While the suspects were caught on camera and hit with paintballs, they remain unidentified. The police is asking for anyone with information to call Turlock Officer Greg Roton at (209) 668-6536.
