Robber attacks Fallbrook resident, makes off with gun, other items

A Fallbrook man is recovering after being attacked during a robbery at his home earlier this month.

Noel Flynn, 82, said he was standing on his patio when he was surprised by a man who threatened him with a knife and demanded his money.

“I was, at the time, on the patio which was right outside my living room door,” Flynn said.

“Basically, after probably less than two to three minutes, he tackled me, smashed me into the cement, dragged me into the cement, and rolled me feet over head into the house. I could hardly stand up from the tackle.”

Flynn said the attacker dragged him to his fireplace, and began hitting him with a fireplace poker.

“Then he basically herded me into the bedroom, where I gave him all the money I had in my wallet, which was about $100,” Flynn said.

And, Flynn said, the attacker forced him to give away something much more dangerous.

“He had me open up the gun safe and give him two guns, shotgun shells, not birdshot but buckshot killer stuff,” he said.

The attacker eventually left, taking other items including a cell phone on his way out, and Flynn locked all of the doors.

“The last thing he told me was if I called the police he was gonna come and kill me,” he said.

But Flynn didn’t listen – instead, he loaded another shotgun that the attacker had not stolen, called 911 and waited for police to arrive.

It was then that his wife, Brooke Flynn, 70, arrived at their home.

“He was still on the phone with the sheriff’s department when I got home,” she said. “He told me, ‘we’ve been robbed, lock the garage door.’”

Noel Flynn said the experience was terrifying and he wants others to be aware of their surroundings, and to not risk becoming victims themselves.

“I thought I was gonna die,” he said.

San Diego County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jeff Creighton confirmed the sheriff’s department responded to a report of a robbery at the Flynns’ home – they asked that Village News not disclose their address – and the matter was still being investigated.

The Flynns, though, say they’re still on edge; they’re still not sure just how much the robber took from their home.

“We’re still finding things,” Noel Flynn said.

“Deputies learned an unknown man entered the property, assaulted the male victim, and stole a shotgun, pistol, ammunition, hammer and a cell phone,” Creighton said. “The suspect fled the residence and has not been located. The victim sustained minor injuries during the assault. This is an ongoing investigation so we cannot comment further on any details at this time.”

Will Fritz can be reached by email at [email protected].