A machete-wielding intruder had second thoughts when he found himself staring down the business end of a Texas homeowner’s 9mm handgun. The confrontation happened around 5 p.m. on August 21. Liberty Hill homeowner, Darryl Stevens, caught the intruder on camera attempting to break into his home, Fox 7 Austin is reporting. 

Stevens and a contractor were looking out to the backyard when they noticed a machete-wielding man walking alongside a dog as he approached the rear of the home near Bear Creek. The intruder appears to pass out momentarily, falling to the ground before standing back up and making his way up a few stairs, pulling on a door to make entry. 

Stevens told reporters, “At that moment, I obviously freaked out. I have two young children here in the house and just went into complete fight or flight mode.” Continuing to recount the ordeal, Stevens says, “I started running through the house. I locked every door as fast as possible, ran upstairs. Luckily, I had a firearm here, so I grabbed my 9mm, unlocked it, ran down as fast as I could.”

The intruder, 43-year-old Jerry Escamilla, failed to gain access through the locked door. Undeterred, however, he climbed a nearby fence onto an upper deck. That’s when he came face to face with Stevens and his 9mm.

“I told him he’s got to leave, or he’s going to lose his life, you know?” Stevens told Fox 7. In what proved to be among Escamilla’s wiser moments of the day, he dropped the machete and can be seen on video climbing back down the fence in retreat while Stevens keeps his handgun trained on the intruder. 

In the meantime, Stevens’ wife was on the phone with authorities who acted swiftly, leading deputies to apprehend Escamilla shortly after. Escamilla is being charged with criminal trespassing and failure to identify, with a bond set at $10,000.

Stevens, obviously still shaken by the incident, indicated relief that he did not have to shoot the intruder, telling reporters he did not expect to confront a situation like this, having relocated his family further from the city.

“I just had to protect my family, and that’s what I did. Luckily, I didn’t have to discharge my firearm,” he said. “It’s just not something you expect to happen in Liberty Hill in the country or way out in the country in the very back of this new, nice neighborhood…we moved out here, we moved further out of the city to feel safe.”

In Texas, a homeowner has the right to use deadly force in self-defense under a Stand Your Ground law. In this particular incident, Texas’ Castle doctrine may also apply, once again allowing the use of deadly force in the event of an intruder or home invasion.

“If someone is trying to unlawfully enter and is being forceful, you have a right to use deadly force to protect your home, your car, and your place of employment in those situations,” said Lt. Russell Travis with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, adding, “You don’t have to retreat. You have a right to defend yourself.”

Understandably, the ordeal has taken its toll on Stevens and his family, as they prepare to increase security measures around their home.

“We feel violated, as a family, we feel like our sense of safety in our safe place, which is our house, has been taken from us. I almost get a little emotional even saying that. It’s not fair,” Stevens said. “We’re definitely upping security. We’re getting a few more firearms to have one upstairs, one downstairs. We are going to be installing more fences and more security features. Floodlights. I’m going to turn this place into Fort Knox at this point in time.”

The story itself is unsettling, and the surveillance video released on August 22 by FOX 7 is even more disturbing. Unfortunate realities of the ongoing crime and mental health crisis have spilled out of the major cities and into areas it is least expected.

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26 COMMENTS

  1. “Feel safe” without being safe. There is nowhere safe. Our neighborhood used to feel safe. It AIN’T now. Carry accordingly🙄

  3. I wonder how many times this particular dirtbag has been arrested? From the article I would guess that if the dirtbag ever returns to this house he will have a much “warmer” reception.

    • I could see this being a citizen and local. Meth is a hell of a drug. Not the most common incident but does happen and luckily the homeowner wasn’t a anti gun sort.

  6. I watched the news video. The home owner said he has two small children and he “had to unlock” his gun first.

    I’m glad I can afford to have more than one gun. I pocket carry a gun when the grand children are at the house. The rest of them are secured.

    I’m never ever unarmed.

    Years ago and I don’t remember where. A small children walked into the family living room and said, “daddy a robber here.”

    It seems an invader had broken into the house through the kids bedroom window. And woke up that child. Fortunately the father carried while at home. A gun fight started inside the house. And fortunately the good guy won. The family was not injured. The invader was shot DRT.

    • The ideal is to always have one on you, next best is one always in arms reach, next always one in the room etc etc. This guy was scraping the bottom of the usable barrel but it did work. Side note fuck anyone for safe storage laws.

      • SAFEupstateFML,

        In regards to safe storage laws, I have a handgun safely stored at all times–on my belt!

        On a serious note, anyone who has small children in their home (either their own children or visitors/guests) absolutely must store all potentially dangerous items (including firearms) safely. That includes sharp objects, heavy objects which can tip-over, and chemicals, among several additional items. As I joked above, one such way to store a firearm in a safe manner which also enables immediate access is to store the firearm in a holster on your belt.

        Also on a serious note with respect to safe storage, I have mentioned on this site before that a very safe and responsible way to store a handgun for immediate access is to install a small shelf as close to the ceiling as possible and keep a handgun or even a long gun up on that shelf. Make sure you have some sort of retaining mechanism which prevents the firearm from simply falling over the edge. That mechanism could be wood trip pieces making a “railing” around the edge of the shelf or even a few vertical pegs around the edge of the shelf. Also, you must absolutely make sure that your children never ever see you reach up there or do anything else with that shelf. Note that access is as fast as you can reach onto that shelf–there are no locks to contend with.

        • Have no problem with doing what is sensible for the individual, mandating it for everyone is the problem.

          • Property owners who take on the costs of defense of home and hearth should get a break on taxes. So, carrot, not stick…

          • Southern Cross,

            I was not suggesting that a homeowner keep all of their firearms out on shelves near the ceiling. Rather, I was suggesting that homeowners keep at least one firearm readily available (for home defense) on a shelf near the ceiling. And I only suggest that if the homeowner is somehow unable to simply carry a handgun on his/her belt (or in a pocket) while inside their home.

            Of course you could go for the best of both worlds inside your home: keep a handgun on your person and a long gun (probably a cheap pump-action shotgun) on a shelf near the ceiling.

    • I couldn’t “afford” 1 gun. Now I have 6. My wife carries. Took awhile for her to carry. Now she always home carries. Shoot,shovel & shut up!!!

  7. Fortunately he saw the criminal in time to: run up the stairs, locate the gun, unlock the gun, put in the magazine, load the chamber, run back downstairs, determine criminal had climbed up on upstairs balcony, run back upstairs, and point the gun at the bad guy. As opposed to pull gun from holster and point at criminal.

    Feel safe ignores the reality of modern law enforcement where catch and release defines the entirety of our judicial system.

  9. This story reflects the truth that no place is totally safe. While some locations are obviously better than others, there is always some level of risk that a violent criminal will target you no matter where you are.

    I have been the target of multiple attacks and a bystander in two other attacks. All of them, I repeat, ALL OF THEM happened in what were otherwise “very safe” (e.g. low-crime) locations.

    Given that violent criminal attacks can and do happen everywhere, a wise person manages that risk to minimize the possibility of a catastrophic outcome. If you are in a “very safe” area where you think that the probability of a violent attack is negligible, you should at least carry a snubnose revolver or micro-compact semi-automatic pistol in your pocket. Common snubnose revolvers provide five shots and common micro-compact semi-automatic pistols provide seven shots (assuming that you carry one in the chamber). A snubnose revolver or a micro-compact pistol are very easy to carry in a pocket holster and represent virtually zero burden in terms of wardrobe, carrying comfort, and concealment. And yet they provide a significant deterrent effect if the worst should ever happen.

    Of course you can scale up from the above if/when your environment is more sketchy. I normally carry a semi-automatic pistol with a 4-inch barrel and 15-round magazine, plus at least one additional 15-round magazine in a significant caliber (.40 S&W). If I think there is an increased probability of violent attack, then I carry an additional magazine. And if I am really concerned about some environment, then I carry as many as three spare 15-round magazines plus a backup handgun.

    The moral of the story: do NOT ignore the real world risk of violent attack no matter how safe you think your environment is. Decide how you will manage that risk to minimize the probability of a catastrophic outcome. And since ignoring the probability of an attack is a no-go, you must decide upon truly effective defensive measures. The very least would be hardened security doors (true security doors with hardened hinges, jams, and true security locks) and true security windows–and keeping them locked. That is the bare minimum. A firearm that is immediately available (within two seconds) at all times is a much more significant additional element.

  11. “Machete-Wielding Intruder Confronted By Texas Homeowner At Gunpoint”

    In Blue Austin, Tx?

    Wonder why the homeowner/gunowner wasn’t charged with reckless endangerment?

    • Williamson County and Travis County are worlds apart. if he would have shot him in Wilco he would have been treated just fine.

  12. “Williamson County and Travis County are worlds apart. if he would have shot him in Wilco he would have been treated just fine.”

    I have read comments that encourage moving bodies across county lines. Is that really a thing in Tejas?

  15. I live just outside of Liberty Hill. It has been a mostly rural area. However we have had a huge influx of new construction as people move this way to get out of Austin and live in the country. Unfortunately the crime is also moving out here.

    Just the week before, 6 illegals were breaking into cars in some of the neighborhoods around here. They also stole a car and the homeowner chased after them. The punks fired several shots at the homeowner striking the vehicle 3 times. They then abandoned the car and took off in a different car that the police stopped. They were jailed but are now out with no charges filed.

    It’s unfortunate, but you are responsible for the safety of your family and yourself.

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