BRADENTON, Fla. — A Bradenton police officer is home and recovering from cuts on his face, after police say a burglar tried to grab his gun and gouge his eyes out.
Lt. William Weldon was responding to a burglar alarm at Joyeria Latina (Latin Jewelry) store in Bradenton, over reports of a burglary.
Police reports say the burglar appeared to give up, but as Weldon went to cuff him, the burglar began to fight the officer.
Weldon put the burglar in a headlock and the two started fighting in the middle of the store for more than two minutes.
Eventually Weldon was able to knock the burglar out with his gun.
Paola Suarez, who runs the store with her family, says they are grateful for the officer’s actions.
“We appreciate it and we would like to see him,” said Suarez. “We are going to find out who he is because we feel so bad, but so good for what he did but so bad what happened to him>
Weldon was treated at the hospital and eventually released.
