(WSVN) - A would-be robber targeted the wrong woman, and his mugshot proves he learned that lesson the hard way.
Fox News reports that a 52-year-old woman in Kingsport, Tennessee, answered a knock on her door when she saw a woman holding a flyer about a lost dog.
But as soon as she opened the door, a masked man appeared and tried to pull her outside the home. Police said the woman fought back, leading the robber to push her and shout, “This is a robbery!”
The two fought in the entryway to her house, and the 4’11” tall victim managed to partially remove the suspect’s mask. That’s when she recognized her assailant as Joe Sotello, who she described to police as a longtime family friend.
The victim said she also noticed Sotello appeared to have a handgun in his waistband, which prompted her to grab a baseball bat from behind the door. Police said she fought Sotello in “clearly justifiable self-defense.”
Two 18-year-old women in the house heard the scuffle and rushed to the victim’s defense. The three pushed Sotello out of the home and onto the front lawn, according to Fox News.
Sotello then attempted to get into a car, driven by the woman who had been holding the “lost dog” flyer. That woman, later identified at Sotello’s girlfriend, drove off, leaving Sotello behind.
While he managed to run away from the three women, police soon apprehended Sotello, charging him with aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment before he was taken to jail.
Sotello gave several false statements to detectives before he eventually confessed to the crime, telling officers that he “had been going through some hard times.”
Police said that, although the victim was a foot shorter and 100 pounds lighter than the suspect, she nonetheless managed to get even.
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