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Virginia Store Employee Jailed for Shooting Masked Burglars

An employee working at a smoke shop business in Arlington, Virginia has been arrested and charged after the Arlington County Police Department says he shot at people trying to break into the store where he was working, according to The Daily Caller

Jowan Zuber, the smoke shop owner defended the jailed employee who could face decades in prison for firing his weapon at a group of masked burglars, wounding one.

Hamzeh Abusharia, 33, was sleeping in the Arlington Smoke Shop, in order to practice social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic, when he was awakened early Sunday morning by three masked juvenile suspects who had broken in to “steal cash and merchandise,” WJLA reported. Abusharia grabbed a gun and, according to police: “opened the door to the sales floor and discharged the weapon, striking one juvenile subject. The employee retreated to the back room but reentered the sales floor and discharged his weapon again as the subjects were attempting to flee the business.”

Arlington Police say Abushariah was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding, Reckless Handling of a Firearm and Violation of a Protective Order. He is currently being held without bond.  According to police, additional charges related to the breaking and entering of the business are anticipated “at a later date.”

Zuber, spoke out on Tuesday night’s edition of “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

“They had broken into the store, three men with masks on,” said Zuber, describing the incident to Fox News host Tucker Carlson. “The neighbor up the stairs said when they broke the window it sounded like a car smashing into the store. Hamzeh, the employee, he said it sounded like a shotgun, and when he woke up he said he just reached for the pistol …”

“When police came, we thought we were in the right,” Zuber added, accusing police of “treating us like we’re the ones who caused the harm.”

“It’s very sad for America today as American citizens practice their Second Amendment to protect the store and their lives,” said Zuber. “Do you know what the police officers told him? ‘Why didn’t you run out the back door?’”

“This is very sad,” he continued. “I was born in Arlington, I pay taxes. The gun is registered. Everything is perfect. But I can’t believe as American citizens, we are being treated like this. And this gets the criminals out there [thinking that] ‘Hey, we can go rob stuff, kill people, hurt people and guess what, people got to run out the back door.’ This is mind-boggling.”

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About Catherine Smith

Catherine Smith is a newcomer to Washington D.C. She met and married an American journalist and moved to D.C. from the U.K. She graduated with a B.A. in Graphics, Media, and Communications and worked in design and retail in the U.K.

Photo: Getty Images

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