And here’s where we are.

At one point one of the thieves comes at the witness with a lit blowtorch. I’m pretty sure that in any civilized area this would be seen as adequate cause for the witness to pop a cap in his ass… but this is not only California but the Sacramento area. No right to defense of self or property should  be assumed there. Still… if the witness had, say, a can of hair spray and hosed down the thief, just so happening to blow the spray past that lit flame, one wonders what might have resulted, both from a rapid oxidation and a legal standpoint.