Joseph Sapienza was watching TV at his Gastonia home at 7:42 p.m. Thursday night when he heard someone prying off the front door lock, reports the Gaston Gazette.
The 68-year-old Marine Corps vet grabbed his .45-caliber pistol and slid it into a holster on his walking aid before shuffling towards the hallway.
He then yanked open the front door and, as he saw two men wearing ski masks, screamed out that he was armed.
The men, terrified after seeing his gun, fled.
"It was like a keystone cops scene," Sapienza, who's been disabled since 1980 when he broke his pelvis after being hit by a truck while cycling to work, told the Gazette.
"When they saw the .45, one ran one way up the street, and the other went the other way," he added.
Sapienza said the men perhaps thought he was an easy target because he's disabled and uses a walker.
"People see me as an easy mark. They probably thought 'we're going to get this man's money," he said.
But Sapienza has now taped a note to his door to make clear to possible intruders that he's willing to make a stand for his property.
"(If) you try to break in my house again, I will be waiting on you. Enter at your own risk," it states.
Police are now hunting for the duo.
