Sherwood homeowner grabs pick ax, goes after burglary suspects
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SHERWOOD, Ore. - A man who went home on his lunch break surprised two burglary suspects at his house and even disabled their car - with a pick ax.
Chris Mollahan said he pulled into the driveway of his Sherwood home on Wednesday just after 1 p.m. and saw two men coming out of the house with sacks of items.
The men dropped the sacks and headed for their car while Mollahan grabbed a pick ax from his garage.
Mollahan said the suspects told him there was another man in the bushes with a gun and during the momentary distraction, they jumped into their car to flee.
That's when Mollahan started swinging the pick ax at their car.
He was able to flatten a tire and even knock off a hubcap. But the suspects were able to drive away - for a short time.
With their rear tire flat, the suspects soon abandoned their car, an older white Honda, and Clackamas County Deputies investigating the incident said the pair offered a person $100 for a ride into town. That person refused and called authorities. The two suspects are still on the loose.
"They didn't get away with anything, but they kind of did take one thing away from us, a sense of comfort," Mollahan said. "You know, we live out here in the middle of nowhere and nobody would have stopped them if I hadn't had come home."
No suspect description has yet been released. Anyone with information about the suspects is asked to call the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.
In '91 I was living in the Hawthorne District when (at 3:00 a.m.) a large guy pounded on my door, claiming that he was being "chased by gangsters." I didn't let him in, but told him I would call the police. He became agressive, pounding harder on the (glass) door, demanding to be let in. I was afraid he would break the glass, and make entry into my house. I pointed my 1911A1 .45 at his face, and told him "go away." He immediately ran off into the night. A second or two later, I looked up and down the street - no "gangsters." I shudder to think what would have happended had I not been armed.
If the criminals turn and run, you cannot legally shoot them in their backs. Too bad. The pickaxe thing wouldn't have worked out well for the same reason.
Congratulations for the fast thinking Mr. Mollahan. This will send a huge message.
Good work. Â For a second I thought he went after a person with an axe. Â Most people aren't suited for 'wet-work'.
Congratulations Mr. Mollahan for exercising your right to bear pick axes. Scum like these guys need to be stopped.
I wish that everyone had the ability to swing a pick axe, fire a gun, whack with a shovel... and was on the spot when a robbery occurs. The way things are going in our world, we're going to have to take care of things ourselves. Law enforcement is spread too thin, there are just too many scumbags out there.Yay Chris... and I'm glad you didn't lose your stuff.
Good for him, I only wish he'd given them a few pickaxe scars to remember him by. Â My advice, Chris, is get a shotgun for your home (with a safe) and a handgun for your car.
Dude , you are awesome ! Gives me a reason to tell the wife , "yes , I still need that , and I see that it could use some sharpening .."
.357 magnum more effective.
prints in the car?
"and headed for their car while Mollahan grabbed a pick ax from his garage."...
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This is great news....I bet  PICK AX sales  Sky rocket !!!
 @bat54 5 day waiting period now maybe.....
 @BowmanRacer Please don't give them any ideas !!!Â
 @bat54 Or better yet, future burglaries in the area from these two cease.
Bwaaaaah ha ha ha! Awesome, Mr Mollahan! Simply awesome!
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What really makes me smirk is the thought of these two cancers on society sniveling somewhere lamenting about how;
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A) Their car is ruined, and in the hands of police, and
B) Waiting on pins and needles knowing that the po-po are only steps away from putting both of them in custody!
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then, reality sets in... Even when they do get picked up, they'll likely spend a night in jail and be discharged.
Why do you call them 'suspects' when they are clearly burglars? Â
did the actually have the werewithal to remove their license plates and I assume the registration information from the car? What about the VIN # ? The homeowner who stood there while they talked to him most likely could provide a description - as well as the driver they flagged down.  It would sure be helpful to have that included in this article.
 @BarbK Yeah, that's a good (and quite obvious) question regarding the state/condition of the perps.  It seems to be the prevailing modus operandi these days in media: 'give the benefit of the doubt (by not directly assigning guilt or even suspect status in some cases)' -- must be a fear of lawsuits by attorneys that end up representing the perps at some point later on.  In any case, people shouldn't overlook the obvious and should just call things as they see it. I have no interest in offending people, not offending people, or trying to use PC terms.  As the Aaron Neville sang: 'Tell It Like It Is..'.
Too bad he did not use that pick axe to cave in someone's skull.  I am tired of the thieving!!! K2's spell checker does not recognize pick axe and changes it to pick ak, see story.
 @Siwash Maybe it would be nice for you, crushing someones skull and watching them die on the street in front of your house isn't the sort of things normal people want them or their kids to have dreams about.
Kudos to Mr. Mollahan! I'm sure when the suspects saw an angry guy swinging a pick at them they about wet themselves. Hopefully the car is registered to one of them or to someone they know and captured quickly. I'm sure the police officers enjoyed taking that report!
 @DeaconBugg Ya but would have been much better if he was a CHL holder and held them at gun point until the police got there.
After chasing down a "lady?" who rear ended me and sped away...I vote for justice, in whatever form you can get!!! Everyone wants the proverbial something for nothing...just not my something's, nor Chris Mollahan's. I think if I lived in a remote area these days, I would invest in a security system, a security dog posse and maybe a moat...
Great job Mr. Mollahan! The criminals are lucky that is all he did.
My thoughts exactly. Great job!!!!!
Always good to see someone fight back and refuse to be a victim of these low-lifes..! Â Way to go, Mr Mollahan..! Â :-)
All right, Chris! A pick axe? Cool! Probably scarier than a gun!
 @Mikey Probably not scarier but definite style points there.
 Good job keeping your wits about you and for refusing to be a victim! Hope the creeps were stupid enough to use a car that can be traced back to them and we see on the evening news that they have been caught.
It would be nice to know what they looked like or any more detailed information. I've lived in Sherwood most my life, I could definitely keep an eye out.
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 @TundraTuniq haha. Here's Johnny!
@kingswebber4 @TundraTuniq  I've lived in Sherwood most of my life as well, and I heard this happened on Morgan Rd., so the suspects could have made it to Tonquin or Baker Rds. I love what Mr. Mollahan did, way cool!
I'm really glad the burglars didn't have any guns. Yay for swinging a pick ax! It really gets the job done.
 @washcomom Personally, if getting a power tool started is feasible..
Stihl 24" chainsaw would be my preference; hopefully a model with an engine of about 55cc or larger. Â Then, when the LEOs arrive, a person can honestly say, 'hey, I disarmed the suspects!'
 @ThePosterFormerlyKnownAsPhredE  @washcomom ....heh..."disarmed"...LMAO...!!
From the movie Breaking Down:
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"Come back here! You forgot to take the briefcase!!!"
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@TundraTuniq ...was that the movie with Michael Douglas as a frustrated guy who finally got fed up and started firing? Need to see it again for a refresher on 'backbone'... Loved it!
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I'm surprised he didn;t get arrested for assulting the tire.....LOL..... Nice job.!!!
Good choice of garden tool to use against evil doers. I have a sledge ax and it would have done similar damage to the car.
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Probably not a good idea for crooks to mess around in Sherwood...which is known for its Robin Hood festival. Also, there is the huge tri-county gun club in the outskirts.
should have swung for the front windows
Good for him! Time to get a big dog.
 @RabidAlley Yeah !! I heard that a huge pack of wiener dogs works pretty good , according to Cisco Morris ! I like big dogs better though !
@RabidAlley   you are absolutely, spot-on right about that. I too live in a remote area and was burglarized several times before I got a huge German Shepherd. This breed is ultra territorial and very smart and means business when it comes to intruders. I have not had one blade of grass out of place in the five years I've had this dog. Once right after I got him I did come home to find a scrap of flannel lined jean pant-leg in my driveway. Love it!
I know this guy! Nice job Chris!