Holly MatkinKershaw, SC – A home intruder wound up being held at gunpoint earlier this month after he barged into a rural residence belonging to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) legend Jim “Hacksaw” Duggan.
The 68-year-old WWE Hall of Famer said he was at home with his wife, Debra, on Dec. 8 when they heard someone pounding on their door, FOX News reported.
“We live way out in the country in South Carolina, probably 200 yards off the main road, down a dirt road. It was totally dark,” Duggan said. “I’m watching TV, she’s making the bed. And all of a sudden there’s this huge pounding on our door.”
The pro wrestler released a statement saying the suspect – a man they had never seen before – climbed over their fence, ran through their yard, and began pounding on their glass doors.
“Before we could get to the door, he opened it and fell into our house,” Duggan said.
Duggan told FOX News that he grabbed the intruder and threw him out onto the porch as the man repeatedly screamed that someone was trying to kill him.
Jim Duggan when someone dumb enough to walk into his house uninvited. pic.twitter.com/RdOC5KJXsV
— 💀Heels Pops Chairshots💀 (@Hpc2sweet) December 21, 2022
“As my wife is watching him, I grab my gun. It just happened to be a .44 Magnum – the old ‘Dirty Harry’ gun which is a pretty intimidating weapon,” he said. “I had that in my hand, waiting for someone else to come. No one else showed up. This guy is screaming, ‘Help me, help me, they’re gonna kill me.’ So now I’m thinking other people are coming after to kill him.”
Duggan said his terrified wife was nearly in hysterics as she called 911.
Meanwhile, he held the suspect down “spread eagle” on his porch at gunpoint until officers arrived at the scene, FOX News reported.
Duggan praised the law enforcement response to the situation.
“We would like to thank the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department for their prompt and professional response last week,” he said in a statement. “We are safe with no damage. Thanks to everyone for the concern and well wishes!”
Thank you to the @KershawCountySC Sheriff's Office and thank you to my fans and friends for the well wishes!https://t.co/DtR7TcnI9V pic.twitter.com/Jek2eVLjzx
— "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan (@RealHacksawJim) December 17, 2022
The WWE legend said he is also thankful that the suspect hadn’t barged into his house while he was sleeping because he would have come out of his bedroom with a loaded gun, FOX News reported.
“But this way, I came into the foyer, he was already in the house, I grabbed him and thew him out. And by the time I grabbed the Magnum, things slowed down enough and I realized he wasn’t a threat,” Duggan said. “Thank goodness I didn’t shoot him or anything because it woulda been a horrible thing to live with, but the guy did break into our house.”
Duggan said the suspect had also gone to multiple other homes asking for help prior to arriving at his residence, FOX News reported.
“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan on Tucker
HOOOOOO! U-S-A! U-S-A! pic.twitter.com/aQrVmCwWbF
— A Very Serious Place (@SeriousPIace) December 22, 2022
“You know, you run through scenarios in your head – what you would do in a situation like that. And then it all goes out the window when something like that happens. Your adrenaline, your heart is pumping. I was scared to death,” he said. “I had no idea what the situation was or what this man brought to my house, but thank goodness for the great response to the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department.”
Duggan was World Championship Wrestling’s first U.S. heavyweight champion and was the first-ever winner of the Royal Rumble back in 1988, the New York Post reported.
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