Machete-wielding burglars attack man and his puppy, then martial arts-trained father arrives
Police 'shocked by level of violence used' by intruders at home in Solihull
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A martial arts expert suffered serious injuries after fighting off four machete-wielding robbers he found beating his 17-year-old son and 20-week-old puppy.
David Pugh, who is trained in a form of self defence called Krav Maga, told the BBC “instinct took over” after the four masked men broke into his home in Solihull on Tuesday morning.
The 55-year-old said police were left “shocked by the level of violence used” by the men, who were also armed with baseball bats and golf clubs.
The sales manager said he heard a “really big crash” and assumed it was his son’s Rottweiler puppy knocking something over.
After leaving his bedroom, he found two men attacking his son, whose girlfriend was also in the room.
Rescuing his son, he also had to fight off the two other robbers, who he said kept shouting: “Where’s the money? Give us your money.”
Mr Pugh said he was “getting dizzy” during the fight after taking “quite a few blows to the head”. He told the BBC he suffered a broken nose and facial injuries.
Although the men failed to take anything, they had “done their homework”, according to Mr Pugh, avoiding all the CCTV cameras.
The puppy, called Zeus, was treated at a vet for a large gash and pneumonia after also being struck during the attempted robbery.
West Midlands Police said they were alerted to a break-in at 3.09am on Tuesday morning in the village of Catherine-de-Barnes.
Officers arrived eight minutes after the 999 call, and investigations are ongoing.
Krav Maga, known for its efficiency and focus on real-world situations, was developed by the Israeli military and is a mix of techniques inspired by boxing, wrestling, judo and karate.
Anyone with information is asked to call West Midlands Police on 101, quoting log number 204 13/2.