{"id":2675533,"date":"2026-10-04T10:37:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T14:37:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/family-man-stopped-a-car-thief-in-self-defense-now-hes-charged-with-7-felonies\/"},"modified":"2026-10-04T10:41:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T14:41:50","slug":"family-man-stopped-a-car-thief-in-self-defense-now-hes-charged-with-7-felonies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/family-man-stopped-a-car-thief-in-self-defense-now-hes-charged-with-7-felonies\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Family Man&#8217; Stopped A Car Thief in Self-Defense: Now, He&#8217;s Charged With 7 Felonies"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffamily-man-stopped-a-car-thief-in-self-defense-now-hes-charged-with-7-felonies%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2675533&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Memphis man named Demarcus Collier, aged 27, was charged with seven felonies after acting in self-defense against a car thief. Authorities stated that Collier fired at least nine rounds at a teenager attempting to break into his car, believing the teen had a weapon. Some of the bullets hit a room with children inside and a vehicle, leading to charges of aggravated assault and vandalism. Legal experts highlighted that Tennessee&#8217;s Castle Doctrine presumes a person\u2019s reasonable belief of imminent danger when using deadly force during unlawful entry, though questions remain about whether Collier acted responsibly. Collier&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suspect-in-ceo-killing-identified-as-an-ivy-league-graduate-who-penned-chilling-manifesto\/\" title=\"Suspect in CEO Killing Identified as an Ivy League Graduate Who Penned Chilling Manifesto\">family expressed shock<\/a> at the charges,emphasizing his hardworking nature and reaction to protect himself. The incident has sparked discussions about the law and the application of self-defense rights, with some experts calling for law changes to better protect gun owners.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A Memphis man who acted in self-defense against a car thief has been charged with seven felonies by local prosecutors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Authorities claim 27-year-old Demarcus Collier fired at least nine rounds at a teenager trying to break into his car after the would-be burglar acted as if he had a weapon, <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.actionnews5.com\/2026\/09\/19\/man-arrested-after-one-critical-oakhaven-shooting\/\">according<\/a> to Action News 5, a Memphis-area TV station. Some of the rounds Collier fired apparently hit a room with children inside and a vehicle, leading to charges of aggravated assault and vandalism, Action 5 News <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.actionnews5.com\/2026\/09\/22\/how-does-self-defense-shooting-turn-into-seven-felonies\/\">reported<\/a>. <b><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cWhat the police do when the process starts to charge you is result-based. Did you intentionally fire and did it put the other people, the victim in fear?\u201d Memphis attorney Michael Working told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a Thursday interview.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cAnd so in Tennessee that case is an aggravated assault and it\u2019s for the homeowners that had a bullet come through the wall, a reasonable fear of serious bodily injury. That\u2019s an entirely separate inquiry from whether the defendant or the gun owner acted reasonably from a legitimate fear himself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Investigators told Action 5 News that Collier saw the suspect breaking into his car on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-chinese-communists-beat-quarantined-womans-corgi-to-death\/\" title=\"Report: Chinese Communists Beat Quarantined Woman&#039;s Corgi to Death\">home security camera<\/a>. Collier\u2019s family expressed shock at the charges.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cHe\u2019s a hardworking man, family man, doing the right things in life,\u201d Collier\u2019s great-uncle told Action News 5. \u201cHe reacted like any human being should do, you know? Because, it could\u2019ve been the other way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Tennessee has the Castle Doctrine, which creates a presumption that a person has a reasonable belief of imminent death or serious bodily injury when they use deadly force against someone who unlawfully and forcibly entered (or was entering) and the defender knew or had reason to believe the entry was unlawful and forcible. Working says additional changes in the law are needed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cTennessee is an 88% Republican conservative lawmakers in our state Legislature. I mean, it is an overwhelming Republican supermajority,\u201d Working told the DCNF. \u201cBut the law is still written with this disconnect where police come out and apply the perspective of the victims only and not the gun owner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Second Amendment Foundation President Massad Ayoob, a self-defense instructor who has also served in law enforcement and an expert witness on the use of force, said that more information was needed on the specific case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cIf the shots were fired with a reasonable degree of responsibility, the law has historically said they should be treated as if they had struck their intended target,\u201d Ayoob told the DCNF. \u201cIf there is Ring camera video of the shooter firing wildly with his eyes closed or over his shoulder blindly, there is a negligence element.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-membership-plummets-to-record-low\/\" title=\"Union Membership Plummets to Record Low\">legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. 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