Robber Confronted By Gun-Toting Store Owner Charged In Series Of Break-Ins

AUBURN HILLS (WWJ) - An Ohio man who was shot at during a robbery attempt in Auburn Hills is facing multiple charges in a series of break-ins.

Police say 35-year-old Leroy Bridgeman was arraigned via video on four counts of breaking and entering a building with intent to commit a felony or larceny. A plea of not guilty was entered and bond set at $40,000 cash or surety.

Bridgeman, of Canton, Ohio, was taken into custody Sunday at a local hotel in connection with break-ins at four business located in a shopping plaza along Opdyke and Hempstead roads.

According to police, officers responded around 6 a.m. Sunday to a report of a break-in with possible shots fired in the shopping plaza. Upon arrival, one of the store owners told officers that a man broke out the front window of his business and barged inside. The owner, who was inside the store at the time of the break-in, fired his handgun twice at the intruder before the intruder fled in a gray Chevrolet Trailblazer with out-of-state license plates.

Officers checked other business in the plaza and found that three others had been burglarized. Officers then searched the area and found the alleged getaway vehicle at a local hotel, where Bridgeman was arrested without incident.

Bridgeman, who remains lodged at the Oakland County Jail, is due back in court for a probable cause hearing on Nov. 28. If convicted as charged, he faces up to 10 years in prison.