Elderly man takes on home invaders
Two Port Macquarie thieves are still on the run after being beaten up by their victim, who is 84-years-old.
The pair probably thought the grey-haired retiree would be a pushover, but this home-invasion target wasn't giving up without a fight.
Ernie Whitfield doesn't like being called a legend, but he sure is the talk of the town.
Three days shy of his 85th birthday, Ernie is sporting cuts to his head, hand, and a bashed ear after the retired builder took on two armed thieves and won.
The thugs broke into his North Coast home early yesterday morning.
"I know that when I got the bar, I started swinging it," Ernie said.
"I managed to get to the bathroom, and ah, the bathroom window was open, and I just sung out as loud as I could."
He grabbed their knife, snapped it in half and fought back, stabbing one in the stomach before they ran off.
"I'm sure there will be members of the wider community that will applaud his actions, but we don't advise that you take this sort of action," Steve Clarke from Port Macquarie Police said.
Local hospitals are on alert for the wounded man.
Port Macquarie is sea-change central, but it's also becoming a thieves' paradise, as more and more criminals in the area target the elderly.
Officers hit the streets today as part of a new operation, with a steady of stream of well-wishers.
Ernie is ok but he knows he's very lucky, and says he'll be beefing up security at home.
"I wouldn't suggest to anybody do to what I did."
