Homeowner Fights Off Would-Be Truck Thief With Bat, Then Gunshot After Suspect Threatens to Kill Him

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TULSA COUNTY, OKLA. — A Tulsa County homeowner fought back with a baseball bat and ultimately a single gunshot Wednesday night after a man threatened to kill him during an attempted truck theft, according to the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded to a reported shooting in the 5900 block of South 59th West Avenue. The homeowner told deputies that 37-year-old Joshua Arena came onto his property, threatened to steal his truck, and said he would kill him if he resisted.

That death threat is what matters here. This was never about a truck. The moment Arena promised to kill the man for resisting, the encounter became a threat to the homeowner’s life.

According to the homeowner’s account, he turned to go back inside his house, and Arena followed him into the residence. The homeowner grabbed a baseball bat and struck Arena, and the two began fighting. The struggle spilled outside, where the homeowner said Arena turned and charged at him again.

The homeowner fired one shot, striking Arena in the thigh.

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Arena was taken to an area hospital for treatment, then booked into the Tulsa County Jail on complaints of attempted robbery by force in the first degree, first degree burglary, and assault and battery. As the sheriff’s office noted, this is an arrest, not a conviction.

Deputies have not identified the homeowner, and no charges against him have been announced. Prosecutors will make any final determination on the shooting.

This man tried to disengage and go back inside. He escalated only as the threat escalated, first with a bat, then with a single round when he says Arena charged him again after threatening his life. One shot, threat stopped, suspect in jail.

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