Missouri dad throws 30-pound TV to ward off armed home invader

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 9 (UPI) -- A Missouri dad fended off an armed home intruder by hurling his 30-pound TV at the would-be robber and charging at him.

John Sullivan said he was snoozing on the couch in the living room of his Kansas City home about 10 p.m. Sept. 3 when the armed man burst through the unlocked front door and pointed a gun at him.

Sullivan, whose wife was with him in the living room while their four young sons, ages 3-10, slept upstairs, said he jumped into action without thinking.

"I just jumped up," Sullivan told WDAF-TV. "I wasn't thinking, just threw the TV at him, and charged right at him, screaming as loud as I can. So it was all instinct."

Sullivan said the armed man and an apparent lookout fled in a getaway vehicle.

The father shared a photo on Facebook showing the shattered screen of his 60-inch TV, which he estimated at about 30 pounds.

"I didn't even feel the weight," he said. "It was like a piece of paper. It just flew across the room at the guy."

Sullivan said the same men are believed to be behind a burglary in his neighborhood and possibly a third incident at a home in Raytown, Mo., on the same night. Police have not made any arrests in connection with any of the incidents.

The father said he was left feeling shocked by the incident.

"They walked up, and threatened my family with a gun in my own living room. It's troubling," he said.