Man Fights Off Home Intruder And Disfigures His Face

A man in Florida fought off an intruder who tried to force his way into the house. The suspect was in custody, the police said.

Barry Sands was asleep in his Miami home around 10 p.m. when he woke up to loud thumping on his door and screams of a woman asking for help. When Sands opened the door, a man attacked him and tried to push his way inside.

The suspect was identified by the police as Mark Katsnelson, 35, court records, said.

Katsnelson repeatedly struck Sands with his hands and the alleged attack left Sands with a cut on his lip and toe. Sands fought back, punching Katsnelson a few times in self-defense and then called 911, the police said.

Katsnelson was arrested and transported to Jackson North Medical Center to receive treatment for facial injuries. He had appeared to have suffered bruises, a black eye and a broken nose.

Katsnelson was transferred to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and charged with burglary with assault or battery. He was held without bond, the police said.

In a similar incident, an 82-year-old powerlifter recently fought off an intruder and handed him over to the police. Willie Murphy, an award-winning bodybuilder who deadlifts 255 pounds, used her strength to stop the man who broke into her Rochester home in New York. She whacked him with a table's metal legs, jumped on him, spilled baby shampoo on his face and even hit him with a broom a couple of times in an effort to keep the man down. The man was later taken to the hospital after the police arrived.

Two years ago, a Florida man also defended himself with a machete when three armed robbers entered his porch in Sarasota, Florida. The man put up a strong fight against them until the police arrived. The entire robbery was caught on the surveillance camera and the police arrested five men in connection with the armed robbery.