A 68-year-old handicapped Gastonia man has a stern warning for the people who he said tried to break into his home Thursday night.
Joe Sapienza, who walks slowly with a walker, told Channel 9 reporter Ken Lemon that at 7:47 p.m., robbers were trying to break into his home on David Avenue.
He said he heard someone prying the lock outside of his door and even pulled the nails to the latch out of the door.
Sapienza grabbed his gun, placed it a holster on his walker and went to the door.
He said he yelled to let them know he had a gun, then opened the door so they could see the gun.
"I was gonna protect myself before they got in," he said.
The assialants ran away.
"They tried to kill each other getting off the front porch trying to run," Sapienza said.
The victim posted a note on the door Friday morning with a warning in case they came back.
"To Whom It May Concern: I see you tried to break in, took my lock off my door. That's okay, you try to break in my house again I will be waiting on you. Enter at your own risk," the note read.
Sapienza told Channel 9 the home has been in his family since 1901 and he wants to give it to his family.
He said he is determined to live there without being afraid.
"Let them come back. I'm not push over," Sapienza said.
He said he put the warning on the door, because his grandchildren usually stay overnight at his home, but were not there Thursday night.
"I didn't want anything to happen to them," Sapienza said.
The man's son lives with him, but also wasn't there during the attempted break-in.
He promises to be ready the next time.
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