15 September 2023 , 18:43
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A woman is celebrating a legal victory after she used a gun to defend herself from a belligerent and "drunk" roommate last year.
Maybi Izquierdo had spent her day cooking and cleaning the five-person home in which she resided in San Bernadino, California, and was looking forward to taking a shower and relaxing in her room.
Then, one of her roommates came home and tried to strike up a conversation with her. She wasn't in the mood, however, and attempted to evade him by taking a smoke break outside, then going back into the kitchen.
But her roommate, who she told Fox News Digital appeared to be intoxicated, wasn't taking the hint. She told the outlet: "He kept on bugging [me]. I think he was drunk because he was gone."
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Izquierdo's semi, which she drives for a San Bernadino-based company (Andy Beltran)She told the man that she'd speak with him the next day after he had "cleared his mind," but that only caused him to become "agitated and a little bit violent."
Izquierdo said she "didn't like the way he just kept walking up" on her. Eventually, she entered a bathroom, figuring that would stop him, but that's when the situation got even worse.
Her roommate held the door and didn't let her close it. That's when she realised she might be in danger — especially after her other roommates had all left the scene to avoid confrontation, being scared themselves.
Carrying a weapon on private property is legal in California, and a permit isn't needed (Getty Images)"He was gonna hit me or rape me or, or who knows?" she said. So, she acted fast, racing out of the bathroom to her purse, where she stashed a firearm.
Under California law, guns are allowed on private property without permits, but Izquierdo also had a concealed carry permit from Florida, where she's originally from, and had been a US Concealed Carry Association member for many years.
She had bought the gun after hearing horror stories of other female truckers being raped or killed while on the road, and she didn't want to suffer that fate — especially without some form of self-protection.
Izquierdo had bought a gun for protection, as she works as a female trucker (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Her roommate then got on top of her, pinning her to the wall, and she fired a single shot, which missed him and everyone else in the house. The other roommates had called 911 by that point.
But when the police arrived, they took Izquierdo into custody, not her roommate, who she described as a "big guy," a "big, tall white boy." They charged her with the discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, a felony, and exhibiting a firearm, a misdemeanour, and she spent the next 20 days in jail, including on her birthday.
Eventually, a phone call from her sister reminded her that, being a member of the US Concealed Carry Association, she had self-defence liability insurance. She then connected with attorney Andy Beltran and his team, who argued that she was acting in self-defence.
The shot Izquierdo fired missed, not hitting anyone (Getty Images)They bailed Izquierdo out using the insurance company and then collected evidence to bust her case wide open, which included the 911 call, security footage and statements to the police by multiple parties.
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A back-and-forth between the attorneys and the district attorney's office ensued, ending in the latter dismissing the case on July 14 of this year.
The incident took place on the evening of September 25, 2022. She had moved into the home to be closer to her trucking company's home base in San Bernadino, renting a room for just a few months from a friend's mum.