Police say a Tennessee woman used a baseball bat to force a robber out of her house, even though the suspect was a foot taller and weighed 100 pounds more than the victim.
The incident occurred Saturday. The victim, identified in the police report only as a 52-year-old female who is 4 feet, 11 inches tall, opened her door to a woman who was holding a lost dog flier. As soon as she opened the door, she said a masked man jumped in front of the woman and forced his way into the house, shouting, "This is a robbery!"
A struggle ensued, and two teenage girls in the house joined the older woman in fighting the home invader, according to the police report. The victim told police that she was able to partially remove his mask and discovered that it was Joe M. Sotello, a family friend. As the altercation continued, the victim said she noticed what appeared to be a gun in Sotello's waistband. The victim grabbed a baseball bat to drive Sotello out of her house, according to the report.
Sotello was forced out to the yard, and the woman who had first appeared at the victim's door took off in a car, police said. Sotello ran to the home of one of the victim's relatives where police arrested him on aggravated burglary and robbery charges.
Sotello's mug shot shows that he suffered facial injuries, including a black eye. Police said that despite the differences in weight and height, and the victim being 18 years older than the suspect, she was successful in defending herself against Sotello in what police said was "clearly justifiable self-defense."
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