Saskatoon man describes turning tables on thieves during break and enter
CBC
Max McQuinn says he just wanted to even the odds.
The 35-year-old says he stumbled upon two men who had broken into his house on Avenue D in Saskatoon at 1:30 a.m. CST on May 29.
McQuinn had stepped out to pick up some fast food. When he got back, he heard voices.
"I wasn't sure if it was in the backyard or something. Then I heard, 'Just grab the cash.' And then it's like, flashbulb, I realize what's going on."
McQuinn got one of the men in a headlock, but tossed him to the kitchen floor when the second intruder began advancing. He then realized that he stood between the men and their way out.
"My thought process, I guess, was just even the odds as much as I could," he said.
"I was hoping maybe I could get a decent choke out on the one guy before going to the next. But that didn't work and I just had to resort to the kitchen tools."
He saw his Japanese chef's knife, 22 centimetres of freshly-sharpened Damascus steel, sitting on the counter.
"So I grabbed the chef's knife off the counter and just kind of held it out to like, wave it around," he said.
McQuinn manoeuvred the pair to the front door and got them out of the house. He said he didn't realize he'd injured one of them until he saw the man's white t-shirt turning red as he ran away.
Police say they do not believe McQuinn will face charges.
"The 37-year-old victim of the stabbing, who is also the suspect in the break and enter, was not co-operative when members of the Serious Assault Unit attended to the hospital to interview him," said Josh Grella in an email.
"Investigation based on interviews and evidence also suggests that the stabbing occurred in self-defence."
Saskatoon defence lawyer Ron Piche said the courts are guided in self-defence cases by whether an individual's response is proportionate.
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