Video Catches Home Invader Snatching 11-Year-Old Girl Before Dad Leaps Into Action
A man in Ormond Beach, Florida, was arrested after grabbing an 11-year-old girl by the hand in her home on Christmas Eve.
According to WOFL, authorities reported that the suspect, identified as Steven M. Hasugulgum, 21, was standing outside the home of 11-year-old Ava Kloepfer, located on Myrtle Jo Drive, when she stepped out of the sliding glass door in the back of her house.
“Hasugulgum approached her, put his finger to his lips and told her to ‘Shh,’ the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.
According to deputies, when Ava stepped back inside, Hasugulgum followed her; he proceeded to grab her hand and pulled her towards him.
The girl’s dad sensed that something was wrong and ended up scaring Hasugulgum away.
“The girl’s father heard something, came to see what was happening and chased Hasugulgum from the house. Responding deputies and Ormond Beach police officers set up a perimeter, and a Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit began tracking for the suspect. The incident was captured on home surveillance video, which allowed deputies to see the suspect,” the sheriff’s office said.
Derek Kloepfer, Ava’s father, said that Hasugulgum had “a scared look in his eye and automatically turned around and ran.”
A woman in a nearby home reported that someone had been trying to open her front door, which was locked, about 40 minutes after the incident at the Kloepfer residence.
“She went to check, opened the door, and was met by a stranger who met the description of Hasugulgum, acting erratic and holding a hammer,” deputies said.
The woman asked Hasugulgum if she could help him before relocking her door. Deputies said that he then went to her SUV and tried to open it. Hasugulgum ran away after the woman hit a panic alarm.
Hasugulgum was taken into custody after being seen again on Myrtle Jo Drive shortly after the incidents.
“Hasugulgum, who has an address in Daytona Beach but is a citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia, was charged with burglary with battery, attempted burglary of an occupied dwelling and attempted burglary of an unoccupied conveyance,” the sheriff’s office said.
Hasugulgun is currently on a $20,000 bond at Volusia County Branch Jail.
WOFL interviewed the Kloepfer family, who said they were glad Hasugulgun was caught quickly. Ava Kloepfer said that “at first I thought it was a dream because this never happens.”
Derek Kloepfer said that in light of the disturbing incident, “the back door will be locked and the kid will have to stay inside.”
“If I would have grabbed him, I’m sure there would have been some consequences,” he added.
Kloepfer did the responsible thing by chasing the suspect away and defending his family. He practiced his right to self-defense to protect his daughter.
Self-defense can be a touchy subject, especially in light of gun-control debates. The intention of gun control, we are told, is to keep guns out of the wrong hands. But it functions in much the opposite way, keeping guns out of the right hands.
Even if firearms were to be completely banned, people with evil intentions would still seek to acquire them illegally.
Had Hasugulgun had a gun, the situation at the Kloepfers’ home may have escalated further. Though Derek Kloepfer did not have to use a gun to defend his family (and it is unclear whether or not he owns one), he thankfully possesses the right to do so.
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