Hardware store owner robbed 15 times in three months catches crooks after camping out in his store with gun

By James Nye

Published: | Updated:

After 15 burglaries over three months, a California hardware store owner took the law into his own hands by catching the men he suspects of robbing him saying, 'This is my property; I’m going to defend it.'

Fed up after losing thousands of dollars worth of gardening equipment and spending money on surveillance cameras and new fencing, Darin Fowler decided the only option was a stake-out.

So on Friday night, Fowler waited up until the early hours of the morning and at 3.30 a.m. pulled his gun on the two unsuspecting men he caught taking equipment out of the store lot.

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Darin Fowler turned into a vigilante to protect his equipment that had been opportunistically been stolen from his store lot over the space of three months

Darin Fowler turned into a vigilante to protect his equipment that had been opportunistically been stolen from his store lot over the space of three months

'They were yanking units through the fence,' said Fowler to CBS Local in Sacramento. 'As soon as he saw the gun he was very compliant.'

Ordering one of the suspects, Dillon Masterson, to the floor, Fowler called Oroville police who he says arrived within two minutes and took the men into custody.

Law enforcement officials then searched Masterson's home and found equipment stolen from Fowler. They also arrested Steven Rodrigues in connection with the brazen thefts.

The spate of robberies began at the turn of the year and according to Fowler had left him feeling annoyed and defenseless.

Dillon Masterson (left) was apprehended at Fowler's store at gunpoint as was his accomplice, Steven Rodrigues (right)
Dillon Masterson (left) was apprehended at Fowler's store at gunpoint as was his accomplice, Steven Rodrigues (right)

Dillon Masterson (left) was apprehended at Fowler's store at gunpoint as was his accomplice, Steven Rodrigues (right)

Fowler says burglars cut into the fence of his business, Air Cooled Unlimited, 15 times over three months

Fowler says burglars cut into the fence of his business, Air Cooled Unlimited, 15 times over three months

'They were taking chain saws, weed eaters, lawn mowers. They would remove complete generator heads off generators,' he said

The enterprising burglars simply cut a hole in the fence of Fowler's property 15 times and took whatever they wanted, whenever.

'They had actually cut this all the way down, and zip tied it open, spread it right open,' Fowler said.

Despite installing surveillance cameras which caught blurry images of his equipment being stolen, Fowler was no closer to finding the culprits - until he decided to wait them out.

Darin Fowler had spent thousands of dollars installing surveillance cameras at his Oroville store in an attempt to catch the thieves

Darin Fowler had spent thousands of dollars installing surveillance cameras at his Oroville store in an attempt to catch the thieves

In the left hand corner of the image two men can be made out in the grainy surveillance footage that Fowler's camera's took on his property

In the left hand corner of the image two men can be made out in the grainy surveillance footage that Fowler's camera's took on his property

However, the brave move almost ended in disaster when Fowler fell asleep waiting up for the thieves - but was luckily woken by the sound of the equipment being moved.

'Two-and-a-half months of seeing this guy on video, and I finally caught him,' said Fowler.

'It was almost closure because now we can relax a little bit now and get back to work.'

Police say Masterson was out on bail at the time of his arrest, and was also in possession of drugs.

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