KENT CITY, Mich. — When Nathan Szelle saw a man with a gun at his front door late Thursday night, he was "shaken," he said.
“Hopefully I don’t die” were his first thoughts, Szelle said. “Hopefully he’s not smart enough to kick in the door.”
Tears filled his eyes when he talked about how grateful he was that his children weren’t inside the home when it happened.
“About 11:50 at night a car pulled in the driveway. I was watching Impractical Jokers, one of my favorite shows,” Szelle said during an interview with FOX 17 on Friday. “I thought it was my ex. 'Something’s wrong with my kids. It’s midnight.'”
However, it wasn’t. The dome light turned on outside when the vehicle pulled up, and Szelle immediately saw that it was a female friend and her boyfriend, he said.
“He came walking up the stairs, shooting at the stairs, shooting at the ground. I’m assuming he was drunk because he didn’t hit the inside,” Szelle said. “So, as soon as I seen that I just locked the doors and called the cops.”
Minutes later, Szelle heard more shots, he said. The vehicle then sped away. Szelle was on the phone with deputies and told them everything.
“’Til they got him, I just kind of locked in the house with the shades shut,” he said. “I didn’t know if he was going to come back.”
Friday morning, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office told FOX 17 that after the 28-year-old man took off in a red Volvo from a residence on northwest Main Street, he led deputies on a high-speed chase. The vehicle was initially spotted 15 minutes away, driving east on 17 Mile Road.
Deputies said they pursued the Volvo to Spencer Township. When they located the vehicle, they witnessed the man run away. People tipped them off as to where he lives. Deputies then went to his home and took him into custody.
The sheriff’s office texted FOX 17 on Friday afternoon to say he’ll appear in court for his arraignment on Monday, Feb. 13. As for the woman, she was interviewed and is not a person of interest.
“Thank God,” Szelle said when he learned the man was in jail. “He’s going to have to pay. Hopefully it’s a long time.”
